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Joelle King (Ngāti Porou) has enjoyed a successful day in the US, advancing to the quarter-finals of the Windy City Open in Chicago.
King held off a spirited comeback from England’s Lucy Turmel to continue her progress in the women’s draw.
The Kiwi controlled the early part of the contest, switching the ball from side to side and attacking well into the front of the court when the opportunity presented itself.
King, the world No. 6, collected a pair of 11-7 wins to build a two-game advantage, but Turmel showed her fighting spirit and took the next two games 12-10, 11-1 to level the match at 2-2.
Stepping up the pace of her hitting, King led all the way through the fifth game to win 11-8 against the world No. 26 ranked British player and secure her quarter-final place.
🗣️"I was 2-0 up and 7-4 and relaxed just a little bit, and as they say it's not over until the fat lady sings."
— Squash New Zealand (@squashnz) February 26, 2022
Reaction from @Joelle_King after she booked her #WCOsquash quarter final place pic.twitter.com/ZXo3be3xJq
“Obviously we have to say congrats to Lucy, I was 2-0 up and 7-4 and relaxed just a little bit, and as they say it's not over until the fat lady sings,” King said post-match. “She kept fighting and just didn't go away."
In the previous round, King battled to a five-game victory over USA’s Olivia Clyne.
“I haven't been playing my best squash and I had a good week last week, and I think all players are the same. When you have a good week, you don't want to go out early in the next event, so I'm just happy to get through two tough five-setters to get to the quarters.”
King will now play fourth-ranked Amanda Sobhy of the United States on Tuesday (NZ time).