Welsh pair Tesni Evans and Deon Saffery have powered into the World Doubles Squash Championship quarter-finals.
Cardiff-born Evans, who now lives in Rhyl, and Barry’s Saffery, who is based in England, play the women’s doubles top seeds at the National Squash Centre, Manchester.
New Zealand’s Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy are the last eight opponents of Evans and Saffery later today (Thursday, 7.30pm).
Evans and Saffery earned a hard-earned win their group match against Colombians Catalina Pelaez and Laura Tovar 7-11, 11-6, 11-2 in 48 minutes, while they were beaten 11-8, 11-7 against Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal.
The four Welsh competitors are Evans, Saffery, Joel Makin, from Pembrokeshire, and Peter Creed, who plays out of Rhiwbina SRC in Cardiff.
Seventh seeds Makin and Creed have progressed to the men’s quarter-finals, having beating South Africans Jon Pierre Brits and Christo Potgieter 11-8, 11-3 in 25 minutes plus Beddoes and Williams (New Zealand) 11-7, 11-8 in 34 minutes.
There are 51 pairs competing in the Championships, representing Australia, Canada, Colombia, England, India, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, South Africa and Wales.
Players are preparing for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia.
Doubles squash is fast-paced, chaotic and exciting. With four World class players on court the World Championships are full of drama, skill and shocks.
Wales have a strong team and their coach is former British Open champion David Evans, who is from Griffithstown, near Pontypool.
Tesni Evans, 24, is ranked number 16 in the World, while Saffery is at 92. Makin, 22-years-old, is rated 48 with Caerphilly-born Creed at 61 in the rankings.
Scots Alan Clyne and Greg Lobhan, winners of the men’s gold medal in the 2016 championship in Darwin, Australia, are top seeds and expected to face second-seeded Australians Ryan Cuskelly and Cameron Pilley in the final.
Kiwi King is bidding to become a double gold medallist for the second year in a row after guiding New Zealand to title success in both the women’s and mixed events in Darwin.
Paired with Landers-Murphy, King is predicted to line up against Joshua Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal, the number two seeds from India, in a repeat of the 2016 final.
King and Paul Coll are mixed favourites, while the second seeds are also the same Indian pairing, Pallikal and Saurav Ghosal, who they beat in the 2016 final.
Group results for Welsh pairings so far. The final group matches are today.
Mixed doubles: Saffery/Makin lost to Kempsell/Aitken (Scotland) 3-11, 3-11 (29 mins); Walker/Lust (England) beat Saffery/Makin 11-8, 9-11, 11-9 (44); Creed/Evans beat Delleree/Carne (Canada) 11-9, 11-4 (26); Creed/Evans beat Kameil/Arnold (Malaysia) 11-6, 11-4 (30).
Women’s doubles: Evans/Saffery lost to Chinappa/Pallikal (India) 8-11, 7-11 (20); Evans/Saffery beat Pelaez/Tovar (Colombia) 7-11, 11-6, 11-2 (48).
Men’s doubles: Creed/Makin lost to Cuskelly/Pilley (Australia) 7-11, 6-11 (32); Creed/Makin beat Brits/Potgieter (South Africa) 11-8, 11-3 (25); Creed/Makin beat Beddoes/Williams (New Zealand) 11-7, 11-8 (34).