World No.5 squash champion Joelle King has eased into the British Squash Open quarter-final.
The Ngāti Porou player claimed a 3-0 victory in 32 minutes against England’s former world No.3 Alison Waters, winning 11-4, 11-8, 11-6.
"I felt much more focused today," says King.
“Al's a tough competitor. We were four and five in the world for a while. We used to have some pretty big battles so I knew I was coming in for a tough one."
King says even though the score was 3-0, it doesn't reflect how tough the match was.
“At no stage could I give her an inch because I knew that she'd take it all the way, so it’s nice to come off three love," she says.
King will next play Egypt's world No.3 Nour El Tayeb or Hong Kong's Annie Au in the quarter-finals on Saturday morning (NZ time) in Hull City.
"Normally, I would like the hotter conditions and the bouncier court, but I've worked hard at trying to improve my short game and my overall squash and I'm now starting to like the colder conditions," she says.
King’s victory against Waters comes after the New Zealander won the Manchester Open earlier this month.