England 3-0 South Africa : Not that simple…

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Pool C: [3] ENGLAND 3-0 SOUTH AFRICA

Jasmine Hutton 3-2 Alexandra Fuller 13-11, 7-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-4 (44m)
Julianne Courtice 3-0 Cheyna Wood 11-0, 11-3, 11-1 (16m)
Lucy Turmel 3-0 Lizelle Muller 11-1, 11-7, 11-7  (11m)

The first match was a stunning start to the event, it has to be said. As South African Coach Paul Atkinson summarised it “either the girls could have won it”.

“It was a very close match for sure. With Alex and Jasmine, it all came down to who would play really good length first and put pressure on the other.

“The game swang both ways. I think that Alex could have won it, and so could have Jasmine. And it definitely set a tone for the whole fixture.

“I think confidence made the difference today to be quite honest. This girls play each other so often now, they are experienced, they know what they are doing. It was about execution, executing your game plan in those critical moments. And each of them lost three to four points in a row, and I think that’s the trickiest, losing two, then getting it back again. And that was probably the difference today.

“We get a break tomorrow, then we play Ukraine, and our last pool mathches Hong Kong.

“We are seeded 12, Ukraine, some of the girls have come and played PSA matches in our country, we know them a little bit, obviously, they are good players and have got a point to prove.

“But our big match will be against Hong Kong, and make sure we execute on that day.”