2022 Australian Open: Day Three wrap

by Aidan Davis on June 13, 2022

A trail of destruction has finally swept across the $254,000 prize-money Australian Open.

A host of heavy-hitters have been tipped from the event during the third day of action across the Gold Coast, with Birmingham-bound Commonwealth Games debutant Ben Twist among the casualties on the last of three sectional days for the blue-ribbon men’s singles discipline.

Twist suffered defeat at the hands of Enoggera’s Jimmy Anderson by a slender shot at Mermaid Beach, with Anderson keeping his unblemished record intact during the last two rubbers to seal the section title and Twist’s fate.

With a capacity men’s singles field, there will be no second hope for Twist or any of the other second-place finishers, with no next-best-qualify positions awarded for the first time.

Former English-international and Indoor champion David Holt was also bundled out of the discipline, courtesy of Mt Lawley’s Keith Scott at Broadbeach, while Australian Jackaroo Matt Lucas had his run ended prematurely by Commonwealth Games aspirant Barrie Lester on Lucas’ home deck of Club Helensvale.

The news was better for Lucas’ Helensvale teammate Rob Chester, who outshone former under-18 champion Jarryd Davies at Tugun.

A number of the women’s pre-tournament favourites were also relegated to the sidelines, including former Australian Indoor title winner Jamie-Lee Worsnop and 2019 Australian Open women’s pairs winner Dawn Hayman, with their hopes coming to an abrupt end, at the hands of the ACT’s Amanda Stitt and Donna Seddon and in the last rubber at Robina.

It wasn’t a day to savour for twin sisters Bolivia and Cassandra Millerick, with Australian Jackaroo Chloe Stewart and Bolivia upstaged by South Australians Karen Gatto and Jackie Field by a slender shot in the morning’s opening session, while Moama duo Kelly Norris and Cassandra had their hopes dashed by New Zealand pair Christine Buchanan and Lynda Milne.

With an even 32 sections of competitors, there won’t be any next-best-qualifiers advancing in the women’s pairs discipline either.

Due to the enormity of the discipline, a random allocation of 36 men’s singles section winners will compete in the knockout round of 512, with each of these winners joining the remaining sections winners in the round of 256.

See the full list of men’s singles and women’s pairs sectional winners from day three here.

See the men’s singles knockout draw here.