Kiwi Paul Coll has advanced to the quarter-finals of the British Open with a straight-game win over France's Gregoire Marche.
The world No.1 recorded a 12-10 11-6 11-9 victory to keep his title defence on track at Hull.
In the opening game, Coll raced to an early 7-1 lead by pinning Marche in the back corners and forcing errors. Marche pulled back the ledger to level at 10-10, but two mistakes handed Coll the game.
The Greymouth native ramped up his aggression in the second game, then closed out the third with a series of attacking shots.
The 29-year-old said he was pleased with his ability to adapt against the wily Frenchman.
"I was very happy with that," said Coll after the game. "I thought that was tactically good today.
"I did exactly what I wanted to, maybe could have been a little more clinical at the front, but overall very happy with that.
"[Marche] is extremely talented with the racket and very quick, so I tried to tie him down and keep it straight and accurate.
"Maybe I got a little passive at times, but I was very happy with my overall length hitting and thought I contained him quite well.
"It's one of the things I love most about squash is constantly evolving my game and adding different parts, learning and making myself better every day."
Coll will face either Peru's Diego Elias or American Shahjahan Khan in the quarter-final on Friday morning.
Fellow New Zealander Joelle King will also be back in action Thursday morning, taking on Sarah-Jane Perry in her quarter-final clash.
