Paul Coll in action. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Squash star Paul Coll has opened his New Zealand Open title defence in Christchurch with a convincing 3-0 victory inside 25 minutes.
The World No.4 was in top form as he took on Japanese No.1 Ryunosuke Tsukue in front of a loud home crowd, which included 50 friends and family who travelled from the West Coast to support him.
After winning the first game 11-3, Coll used every inch of the court to force Tsukue to cover plenty of ground, and took out the second and third games 11-6 for a comfortable 3-0 win.
"I'm very happy with my first performance. It was an amazing intro that I got from the crowd, so I was just out there trying to enjoy it.
"I played my shots and felt pretty relaxed and I'm very happy with how that went," Coll said.
A glass court had been installed on stage in Christchurch's Isaac Theatre Royal for the New Zealand Squash Open.
"It's been so good playing in Christchurch. I've been here for a few days now and this is where I grew up, playing all my squash. It does really feel like home to me, which is a pretty cool feeling.
"I never, ever thought I'd have a New Zealand Open in Christchurch and I'm so stoked for the people of Canterbury, they've had a big 10 years, so to be able to pull this off is really special."
Coll will take on France's Sébastien Bonmalais in his quarter-final at 6pm Friday.
Earlier in the day, 18-year-old local Wellington wildcard Oliver Dunbar's dream run ended at the hands of No.3 seed Eain Yow Ng of Malaysia.
Oliver Dunbar at the NZ Squash Open. Photo: Squash New Zealand
Dunbar tore up the script at the Isaac Theatre Royal on day one with a win over Rui Soares, ranked more than 200 places above him.
Dunbar matched Ng well during the opening spell and earned a narrow 4-3 lead before the Malaysian opened up the court, putting some brutal rallies into the teen's legs as the No.3 seed scored eight points in a row to take game one.
Ng picked up where he left off in game two and three, with the Malaysian No.1 pulling away to wrap up the win.
Friday will see the quarterfinals contested, with semi-finals Saturday, and finals Sunday.
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