by Wade Townsend
Local athlete Matilda Alexandersson (AUS) almost caused the biggest upset so far in the Junior Girls’ Sinlges when she led 3-1 against the number one seed Lavanya Maruthapandian (USA). But what almost was a heroic victory turned to heartbreak.
The two game lead quickly evaporated and Alexanderson was left wondering where the match had gone.
New Zealand was able to secure a place on the final day of action. Hui Ling Vong (NZL) brought a halt to Angela Wang’s (AUS) run. Wang had upset seeding to finish top of her group, however couldn’t progress any further going down 12-10 in the seventh.
Meanwhile, seventeenth seed Michelle Wu (AUS) has managed to find her way in to the semi-final with a 4-2 over Cindy Suy (AUS). She will now face off against number two seed Holly Nicolas (AUS).
Nicolas had to survive a tough quarter-final match against number three seed Georgina Newton (AUS) who had finished second in her group in the qualifying rounds. Having lost to Newton in the team’s event, the second seed was able to avenge her defeat and win 4-1.
Australia’s number one junior girl, Nicolas made sure to start the year off on the right foot.
“Training has been good. I had Michaela Karlsson, a coach from Sweden stay at my house for the month of January and I trained with her every day.” Holly Nicolas
Nicolas’ offseason preparation will be tested tomorrow when the final day of action gets underway at 10:15 local time (GMT+10).
