Crowd favourite versus tournament queen
A blockbuster encounter is scheduled between the home crowd favourite and the undisputed queen of the Australian Indoor Championships. Tweed Heads’ Kristy Thatcher put on a masterclass on her home carpet this evening at the Australian Indoor Championships, but is precariously placed in the field.
Thatcher was dominant in her round one performance, blasting her way to a comprehensive 18-0, 11-2 victory against Kim Suckley in scintillating fashion.
However, a herculanean hit-out with the tournament’s most decorated female players awaits her in the second round, against six-time champion Karen Murphy, who enjoyed a reprieve with an opening rubber bye.
Murphy has made the tournament her own in recent memory, but Thatcher’s knowledge of the Tweed carpet is unparalleled, which makes it difficult to determine exactly who carries the early ascendancy into their 10.00am encounter.
In the other women’s match played during the 4.00pm time-slot, ACT young-gun Jessica Hogan produced a stellar result, toppling 2015 Australian Open women’s singles champion Ellen Ryan 7-5, 8-8.
In the men’s field, former Australian champion Ian Taylor defeated Darebin greenskeeper Shane Waddingham 6-6, 11-2, and now faces Moruya’s Chris Pollock, who edged out Taren Point’s Simon Kyttle 3-9, 8-3, 4-2.
The last two results from the opening round are currently being played, with reigning Australian Open singles winners Aron Sherriff and Natasha Scott playing Nathan Dawson and Kirsty Van Den Hoff respectively.
Click here to view the Australian Indoor Championships men’s results.
Click here to see the women’s results from the Australian Indoor Championships.
