Category: Squash

by Abhishek Shukla

India lost to Pakistan in the final of the Asian junior team squash

Pattaya (Thailand): It did not prove second time lucky for India as Pakistan carved out a 2-0 victory to win the boys’ title in the Asian junior team squash championship here on Sunday. It was by a 2-1 margin that Pakistan had beaten India in a Pool league match earlier.

As has been the pattern for India in this championship this time, the focus fell once again on Veer Chotrani who was to start the proceedings for India. The Indian did his best showed his fighting qualities to stretch the match but at the finish line, Hashmi edged him out to put Pakistan one up. Expectations of Utkarsh Baheti taking a leaf from Veer dimmed from the way Abbas Zeb seized early control of the exchanges. Leaving no chance for Utkarsh to manoeuvre, Zeb reeled away three straight games to bring Pakistan the victory.

The result: final: Boys: Pakistan beat India 2-0 (Abbas Zeb bt Utkarsh Baheti 11-4, 11-2, 11-6; Muhammad Farhan Hashmi bt Veer Chotrani 2-11, 11-9, 11-7, 5-11,11-9; Harish Qasim-Yash Fadte (withdrawn).

by Abhishek Shukla

Indian Boy’s and Girl’s in semi-finals of Asian junior Squash Championship

Pattaya (Thailand): India moved into the semi-final in both the boys’ and girls’ sections in the Asian junior team squash championship here on Friday.

The last set of Pool matches brought about contrasting results with the boys’ winning 3-0 over Korea and thereby finishing second in Pool A behind Pakistan while the girls lost 0-3 to Hong Kong and placed the number two team in its Pool. Hong Kong took the top place.

Of the two, the boys’ tie had added interest because India needed a win to ensure its passage into the knock out round. As it turned out, the trio of Utkarsh Baheti, Yash Fadte and Tushar Shahani made sure there were no hiccups enroute. Only Fadte had a longer stay on court with his opponent Lee Minwoo pushing the contest to four games. Tushar did face tough resistance but managed to keep Yu Jeongmin down in straight games. In the girls section, Amira put up a brave front, even led 2-1 in game scores against Lim Sum Yuet but could not sustain the tempo.

In the semi-finals on Saturday, India plays Malaysia in both sections.

The results:

Boys: Pool A: India bt Korea 3-0 (Utkarsh Baheti bt Kim Seokjin 11-8, 11-3, 11-5; Yash Fadte bt Lee Minwoo11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 12-10; Tushar Shahani bt Yu Jeongmin 12-10, 11-8, 13-11)

Girls: Pool B: Hong Kong bt India 3-0 (Chan Sin Yuk bt Sanya Vats 11-6, 11-6, 11-9; Cheng Nga Ching bt Yoshna Singh 12-10, 11-9, 11-5; Lim SumYuet bt Amira Singh 11-2, 13-15, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8)

by Abhishek Shukla

India lost to Pakistan in Asian junior squash championship

Pattaya (Thailand): Spurning close to five match points, Veer Chotrani lost a crucial match and helped Pakistan to clinch a 2-1 win over India in a Pool A boys’ encounter in the Asian junior team squash championship on Thursday. A win would have helped India book a knockout berth straightaway but now the boys will have to wait until the outcome of their match against the Koreans tomorrow.

But this was an opportunity that the boys’ almost seized with the great fight they put in. But things turned awry when the moment of joy was just a few points away. It was Utkarsh who set the ball rolling with a rollicking show in the opener against higher ranked Abbas Zeb. The Indian surprised his opponent with a 2-1 lead in game-score and was sitting pretty with 10-6 score in the fourth game. But their he got stuck and Zeb was too clever to let the chance go. Tushar Shahani came next and from 0-2 down in game score fought back splendidly to put it across Mohammad Farhan Hashmi in what a contest of consistency.

The whole tie now hinged on Veer for India and the young Mumbaite rose up to the occasion so it seemed as he won the first two games fighting all the way and then led 9-7 in the third. Haris Qasim looked all down when Veer presented him with some lose strokes. The Pakistani lad pounced on the offer and never looked back., Veer did have another match point in the fourth game but by now Qasim was on different plane, going for every ball and forcing mistakes on his opponent. The Indian fight virtually ended there and then. “A big disappointment”, said national coach Cyrus Poncha on the outcome when everything seemed going well for India.

Meanwhile the Indian girls had something to cheer later in the evening when they beat Singapore 2-1 and now is assured one of the top two places in Pool B and so a knock out berth.

The result:

Boys: Pool A: Pakistan bt India 2-1 ( Abbas Zeb bt Utkarsh Baheti 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9; Haris Qasim bt Veer Chotrani 10-12, 6-11, 12-10, 12-10, 11-6; Mohammad Farhan Hashmi lost to Tushar Shahani 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 10-12, 5-11) ; India bt Chinese Taipei 3-0 (Utkarsh Baheti bt Chen Wun-Lin 11-3, 11-5, 11-2; Veer Chotrani bt Chu Ching-Hsuan 11-1, 11-9, 11-3; Tushar Shahani bt Pan Shao-Yu 11-3, 11-2, 11-4)

Girls: India bt Singapore 2-1 (Sanya Vats lost to Sneha Sivakumar 12-10, 6-11, 4-11, 10-12; Yoshna Singh bt Keertana Veerayah 11-5, 11-4, 11-9; Amira Singh bt Paige Hill 8-11, 11-2, 11-8,11-7)

by Abhishek Shukla

India’s Anahat Singh wins the U-11 girls title in the British Junior Open

Birmingham: Every year there is an Indian who demands attention at the British Junior Open. This year it was the turn of Delhi’s Anahat Singh to earn honours as she rose to win the U-11 girls’ title in this prestigious Championship here today.

The Indian national champion who was seeded ¾ defeated the top seed Malaysian
Whitney Wilson 13-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9 to clinch the title. Anahat is the sixth Indian to win a title in this annual event in the UK.

The impressive Indian had earlier accounted for the second seed Egyptian Sohayla Hazem Farouk 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9 I the semi-final.

by Abhishek Shukla

India’s top junior Yoshna Singh has won the Scottish junior Open squash

Edinburgh (Scotland): One of India’s top junior, Yoshna Singh made it a memorable year-end for herself by winning the U-17 title in the prestigious Scottish Junior Open squash here late on Sunday.

Seeded 5/8, this Maharashtra girl defeated Sze Yu Lee of Australia 11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 13-11 in an engrossing final. Yoshna had earlier beaten the top seed Lucie Stefanoni of USA in the quarterfinal to exhibit her good touch. In the semi-final she had gone past a Scottish girl Lucy Murchie in what turned out to be a tough five-game tussle where she came back from a game down.

by Abhishek Shukla

Joshna Chinappa lost in the quarterfinal of the Carol Weymuller Open squash

New York: India’s top woman player Joshna Chinappa went down to the top seed Nour El Tayeb in the quarterfinal of the Carol Weymuller Open, a PSA event here on Saturday. The Egyptian won 11-4, 4-11, 11-3, 11-2, the match lasting just a minute past the half hour.

Seeded eight, Joshna had begun well but after taking the second game to level the game scores she found all routes to further progress stopped by her famed opponent. Joshna had a 1-2 head-to-head score over Nour but that could not be levelled off because the Egyptian was far too superior in her control over the ball. While the Indian was quick to pounce on opportunities, Nour was adept in keeping her rival at bay most times with her shrewd angle of returns.

by Abhishek Shukla

Saurav Ghosal fell at the hands of Mohamed Elshorbagy at US Open

Philadelphia: Top ranked Indian, Saurav Ghosal’s tenure ended in the US Open 2018, a PSA world tour platinum event, in the third round on Tuesday.

Pitted against the top seed and highly rated Egyptian Mohamed Elshorbagy, the Indian did put up some resistance but in the end that did not help. The Egyptian won 11-5, 16-14, 11-9 to enter the quarterfinal.

The other Indian in the fray, Joshna Chinappa, the 16th seed in the women’s section awaits herthird round match against eighth seeded Sarah Jane Perry, later tonight.

by Abhishek Shukla

Saurav and Joshna have moved into the third round in the Prestigious US Open squash

Philadelphia: Indian stars Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa have moved into round three in the prestigious US Open 2018, a PSA world tour platinum event being held here. However Dipika Pallikal Karthik fell in the second round, losing to Egyptian third seed Nour El Tayeb in stright games 11-6, 11-5, 11-9.

Where Saurav and Joshna began their campaign from round two, Dipika had an earlier start. She was stretched to five games by a Canadian Danielle Letourneau before winning 11-6, 11-13, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4. Joshna, who is seeded 16, also had a tough match in her opener against Julianne Courtice of England. Joshna won 6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 12-10,11-3. In comparison Saurav had a smoother ride in the men’s section. The Indian beat Tom Richards of England 11-4, 11-8, 11-3 to meet the top seed Mohamed Elshorbagy of Egypt next.

by Abhishek Shukla

India’s Vikram Malhotra won his second PSA event in a week

Houston: India’s Vikram Malhotra is on fire. The US- based player, who had only last week won a PSA Challenger event in Canada, added one more to his kitty with the triumph in the Texas Open, a PSA challenger here on Sunday. He beat Daniel Mekbeb of Czeck Republic over five games 11-6, 2-11, 5-11, 15-13, 11-1. This is Vikram’s 8th PSA title overall in his career thus far.

The fourth seeded Indian, who moved ahead after a first-round bye, got past three players enroute to the final. His second round victim was Syed Hamzad Bukhari of Pakistan, followed by Reuben Phillips of England in the quarterfinals and another Pakistani Shahjahan Khan, the 8th seed in the semi-final 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6.

Incidentally the top seed in this event was Ramit Tandon but he conceded his match in the quarter final to Shahjahan Khan, Vikram’s sem-final victim.

by Abhishek Shukla

World junior squash championship opens

Chennai: The world junior squash championship was formally declared open by the Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare and SportsDevelopment, Mr P. Balakrishna Reddy at a colourful function at the Indian Squash Academy here on Tuesday. The matches get underway on Wednesday.

Members from the 28 teams, including host India, marked for participation in this championship were present for the neatly organised function. Flag bearers of the representing countries came in to the arena amidst cheers all around and gathered into a colourful bunch within the centre court. As always the host team, whose flagbearer was Ashita Bhengra, received the biggest applause.

The Minister Mr Balakrishnan underlined the big role that the government had been doing for the promotion of sports in the state. He mentioned the name of former Chief Minister late J. Jayalalitha and her keen interest in sports development while adding that the present government was fully behind all the ideals that she had stood for. Ever since the establishing of modern infrastructure in the wake of the 1995 SAF Games, he said, the State had seen a surge in the performances of athletes in various sports. The government had also provided several crores of rupees in sportsincentives to the best performers. The Minister said he was happy that Tamil Nadu was in the forefront in the sport of squash and specially mentioned the role of State’s squash players Saurav Ghosal, Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal Karthik in the main in bringing laurels to the country.

Referring to the Current World championship, Mr Balakrishnan congratulated Mr N. Ramachandran, President, Tamil Nadu Squash Rackets Association and his team for the good work done for the successful conduct of the event.

Earlier Mr Ramachandran thanked the Government and the Chief Minister in particular for being very supportive in all the major ventures of the Squash Association, including the current World championship.

Also to speak on the occasion was Mr Dheeraj Kumar, Principal Secretar, Ministry of Youth Welfare and Sports Development. The Championship Director, Mr Cyrus Poncha proposed a vote of thanks.

Another highlight of the evening was a brief phase of music and dance to symbolise a blend of tradition and modernity that set alight the arena even as colour lights ran riot. All in all it was an evening that the good gathering in good cheer.

by Abhishek Shukla

Saurav Ghosal looses against to sees in Channel VAS championship

Surrey: Indian star Saurav Ghosal’s exciting journey ended at the semi-final stage with the top seed Mohamed Elshorbagy of Egypt beating him 13-11, 11-8, 11-9 late on Saturday in the Channel VAS championship, a major PSA world tour event here.

Ghosal had come in as a qualifier and beaten two seeded player enroute to the last four but the former world number one , Elshorbagy proved a tough nut to crack. But it was not an easy match for the Egyptian, even forced to save a game ball in the first game. Even though Ghosal played high standards forcing Elshorbagy to earn his points, the Indian could not dominate beyond a point.

by Abhishek Shukla

Saurav Ghosal reached semies of $ 100,000 Channel VAS Championship

Surrey (UK): It was mixed fortune for the three leading Indian professionals in the PSA circuit. While Saurav Ghosal had moments to relish having reached the semi-final after starting as a qualifier in the $ 100,000 Channel VAS Championship being held here, Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal exited in the first round itself from the $50,000 Carol Weymuller Open away in New York.

After two rounds of tough qualifying phase matches, Ghosal showed his mettle by dislodging the third seed Marwan Elshorbagy of Egypt in the first round 11-7, 11-7, 11-2 to reach the milestone of 200 match wins in the PSA circuit. This Egyptian did not pose much of a problem but in the next round, the Indian had a tough customer in another Egyptian , the eighth seeded Mohamed Abouelghar. Ghosal came back from being 1-2 in game scores at one stage to convert the 68 minute in his favour with some shrewd control over the pace of the match. The Indian won 11-9, 5-11, 8-11,11-3, 11-8 to get ready for another Egyptian, this time the top seed Mohamed Elshorbagy in the last four.

However in the US, the two grand ladies of Indian squash, Joshna and Dipika succumbed to their Egyptian opponents. Dipika was unlucky to get pitted against the second seed Raneem El Welily in the very first round and it was 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 defeat. Sixth seeded Joshna however faced a tough fight against Salma Hany and as it happened lost to the latter for the first time in seven meetings. Salma won 9-11, 13-11, 14-16, 11-5, 12-10.

by Abhishek Shukla

Joshna goes down fighting in US open Squash

Philadelphia: Indian star Joshna Chinappa showed fight but that was not enough to trouble the fifth seeded Nouran Gohar. The Egyptian found her way to carve out a 9-11, 11-9, 11-8,11-5 victory to make it to the quarterfinal of the US Open squash championship here on Tuesday.

The near one hour tussle, which had several close moments could have brought a surprise gift over the talented Egyptian. After picking the first game with a near perfect stroke-play, the thirteenth seed Joshna could not consolidate after the early lead. She led in the second but lost her way and even in the third though she led 8-6, Gohar played with lot of intent to douse the enthusiasm of the Indian.

by Abhishek Shukla

Dipika Pallikal lost in the semi-final of the San Fransisco Squash Open

San Fransisco: Dipika Pallikal Karthik’s dream run ends at the semi-final stage with former world champion and a legend Nicol David of Malaysia defeating her in straight games 11-3, 11-0, 11-5 here on Friday in the Oracle Netsuite San Fransisco Open, a $50,000 PSA world tour event.

Unlike in the earlier rounds, the Indian was never allowed the freedom to showcase her capability with Nicol taking just 22 minutes to finish off a swift job and make it to the final.

by Abhishek Shukla

Dipika Pallikal Karthik moved into the semi-final of the Sanfrancisco Open

San Fransisco: Dipika Pallikal Karthik’s sensational run continues. The star Indian demanded attention after ousting the sixth seed Olivia Blatchford of USA in straight games 13-11, 11-6, 11-9 to storm into the semi-final of the Oracle Netsuite San Francisco Open, a major PSA world tour event here on Wednesday.

The Egyptian coach of Indian squash, Achraf El Karugui who was monitoring the match said that Dipika’s show was all of grit and class. She was down 6-10 in the first game but clawed back not only to restore parity but win the extra points to grab the game. The next two games went close but the Indian was always in the lead right through. Only once had she lost to this American in their four earlier meetings.

Dipika now braces up to meet a tough opponent in second seed Nicol David, a former world champion and a legend in the sport, next in the last four on Friday(Saturday in India).

by Abhishek Shukla

Saurav Ghosal went down in the final of the Macau Open squash

Macau: Egyptian Mohamed Abouelghar, the second seed, ended the dream of Saurav Ghosal with a 11-1, 11-4, 11-4 win in the final of the $50,000 Macau Open, a major PSA world tour event here on Sunday night.

After the grand strides that Ghosal, the fourth seed, had made enroute to the final there was a flicker of hope when he came on to play the title round. Afterall two years ago in the CCI tournament in Mumbai, the Indian had beaten the Egyptian at the quaterfinal stage. But much has happened since with Ahbouelger jumping to rank 11 in the world, 17 rungs above Ghosal. The supremacy was reflected quick enough with the Egyptian giving little away in carving out a comfortable win.

by Abhishek Shukla

Saurav Ghosal stormed into the final of Macau Open

Macau: India’s leading player Saurav Ghosal stormed into the final of the $ 50,000 Macau Open, a major PSA world tour event here on Saturday.

The Indian national champion, seeded four ousted the top seed Simon Rosner of Germany in five games 11-5, 5-11, 11-6, 11-13, 11-4 in a pulsating semi-final. Not in recent times have these two met at any event. Besides the Indian at 28 in world ranking was way down the 11th spot that the German was. But that did not unsettle Ghosal who showed his characteristic fight and ensured victory in what proved a topsy turvy tussle.

In the title round, Ghosal will meet the second seed Egyptian Mohamed Abouelghar.

by Abhishek Shukla

Ravi Dixit wins Secunderabad Club Telengana Open

Secunderabad: Experienced and top seed Ravi Dixit of Haryana made the best of the occasion by beating second seed Jamal Sakib of UP with ease to annex the men’s title in the Secunderabad Club Telengana Open, a two-national circuit squash tournament here on Saturday.

In the junior section the fights for supremacy were lot closer in some categories though most of the top seeded players courted glory. Still mention has to be made of Devay Mehta, seeded ¾ who toppled top seed Rohan Arya Gondi for the title in the U-13 boys section. Similarly in the girls section, Maharashtra’s Sarah Vethekar, seeded 2 got the better of the top seed Rajasthan’s Uditi Mishra in the U-15 final.

The results: final:
Men: Ravi Dixit (1), HR, bt Jamal Sakib (2), UP, 11-2 11-8 11-3; (places 3-4):
Ashraf Hussain (5/8), DL, bt Arjun Sitaram, KA, 11-6 8-11 13-11 11-6

Boys: (U-17): Prithvi Singh (1), CH, bt Tejas Chawla (3/4), DL, 11-7 11-6 11-4; (Places 3-4):Jairaj Singh (3/4), RJ, bt Nikhil Jason (2), TN, 11-9 11-7 11-5; (U-15): Navaneeth Prabhu S (1), TN, bt Athrva Yadav (3/4), DL, 11-8 7-11 11-9 11-8; (Places 3-4): Lakshit Bohra (2), RJ, bt Arman Darukhanawalla (3/4), MH, 11-2 11-8 10-12 11-9; (U-13):Devay Mehta (3/4), MH, bt Rohan Arya Gondi (1), TL, 11-7 15-13 12-10; (places 3-4): Sharan Punjabi (2), MH, bt Ranbir Minocha (3/4), MH, 11-1 11-6 11-5; (U-11):Gurveer Singh (1), CH, bt Archith S (3/4), TN, 11-7 11-6 13-11; (places 3-4): Aakash Kannan (2), TN, bt Udit Mishra (3/4), RJ, 11-8 11-4 11-3 .

Girls: (U-17): Amira Singh (1), DL, bt Krithica J S (2), TN, 11-7 5-11 11-6 Ret..; (places 3-4): Shamita Yadav (3/4), CH, bt Malavika Ajith, TN, 11-6 12-10 6-11 11-6; (U-15):Sarah Vethekar (2), MH, bt Uditi Mishra (1), RJ, 12-10 13-11 11-6; (places 3-4): Trina Iris (3/4), TN, def. Anushka Rawat, GA, 11-4 11-5 11-2; (U-13):Deepika Vinoth Kumar (1), TN, bt Ashmitha Kandhi Arumugam (3/4), TN, 11-6 11-8 11-5; (Places 3-4):Tiana Parasrampuria (2), MH, bt Maansha Bohra (3/4), RJ, 11-1 11-8 11-7; (U-11):Anahat Singh (1), DL, bt Ipsa Mishra (2), MH, 11-4 11-2 11-2; (Places 3-4): Navya Sundararajan (3/4), UP, bt Chhavi Saran (3/4), RJ, 11-7 11-7 11-8

Men (Over 35 yrs): Arvind Kumar G (5/8), TL, bt Khushwant Singh (2), CH, 11-5 4-11 6-11 11-9 11-8.

by Abhishek Shukla

Saurav Ghosal into the semi-final of the $50,000 Macau Open

Macau: India’s national champion Saurav Ghosal has moved into the semi-final of the $50,000 Macau Open, a PSA world tour event here on Friday.

After the early struggle in the tournament when he was stretched to five games by an Egyptian Mazen Gamal, a qualifier in the first round, the leading Indian,the fourth seed was in his elements against HongKong’s Tsz FungYip. Against the Egyptian, Ghosal had to come back from two games down to bring about a dramatic transformation. The 85 minute tussle ended 5-11, 8-11, 11-2, 11-3, 11-6 in Ghosal’s favour. However against the Hong kong player in the quarters the Indian did not concede much freedeom and carved out a 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 win in 38 minutes. Ghosal is to play the top seed German, Simon Rosner in the last four on Saturday.

As for the other Indians, Harinder Pal Sandhu who had ousted his junior partner Abhay Singh in the qualifying phase final, lasted one round in the main draw. Sandhu lost to Egyptian Omar Mosaad, the fifth seed but after giving a fight. The Egyptian won 11-1, 8-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-2 in 65 minutes.In the women’s section Janet Vidhi was the lone entrant trying to make an attempt to qualify for the main draw. But she could not, losing the first round of the qualifying phase.

by Abhishek Shukla

Ravi Dixit from Haryana breezed into the men’s semi-final of the Secunderabad Club Telangana Open 2017

Secunderabad: Seasoned Ravi Dixit from Haryana breezed into the men’s semi-final of the Secunderabad Club Telangana Open 2017, a two-star squash tournament, part of the national circuit here on Thursday.
The second seed Jamal Sdakaiab of Up also moved into the last four with ease. For the second day the Club courts witnessed hective activity with matches in various age categories in the boys and girls sections aside from the men’s over 35 years section.

Results: quarterfinals:

Men: Ravi Dixit (1), HR, bt Sanat Garg (9/16), WB, 11-7 11-3 11-4; Ashraf Hussain (5/8), DL, bt Sandeep Kondaparthy, TL, 11-1 11-5 11-3; Jamal Sakib (2), UP, bt Desappan Ravi (9/16), TN, 11-9 11-6 11-7; (pre-quarterfinal): Ravi Dixit (1), HR, bt Veduruvada Prasad, TL, 11-8 11-2 11-1; Sanat Garg (9/16), WB, bt Ankit Acharya (5/8), KA, 11-8 8-11 11-8 11-8; Ashraf Hussain (5/8), DL, bt Akash Ashokumar (9/16), TN, 11-9 11-7 11-8; Sandeep Kondaparthy, TL, bt Pratik Mohite (9/16), MH, 11-5 11-9 11-8; Vinoth Kumar Kuppusawmy (9/16), TN, bt Amrit Dasgupta, KA, 13-11 11-6 7-11 11-7; Desappan Ravi (9/16), TN, bt Rahul Kumar (5/8), KA, 11-3 11-3 11-4; Jamal Sakib (2), UP, bt Ravi Madabhushi (9/16), KA, 11-7 11-8 11-7

 

Boys: (U-17): Prithvi Singh (1), CH, bt Shlok Makhija, MH, 11-8 11-8 11-4; Jairaj Singh (3/4), RJ, bt R Kishore Arvind (5/8), TN, 7-11 11-5 12-14 16-14 12-10; Tejas Chawla (3/4), DL, bt Jayasai Yarram (5/8), TL, 11-3 11-3 11-3; Nikhil Jason (2), TN, bt Ashwin Kandath (5/8), DL, 11-6 11-4 9-11 11-4; (U-15): Navaneeth Prabhu S (1), TN, bt Aaryan Agarwal, MH, 11-7 11-4 11-6; Arman Darukhanawalla (3/4), MH, bt Ekam Singh (5/8), CH, 7-11 9-11 11-9 11-9 11-8; Athrva Yadav (3/4), DL, bt Arnav Mandhana (5/8), MH, 11-9 11-4 11-0; Lakshit Bohra (2), RJ, bt Adhil Mohammed Syed (5/8), TN, 11-5 11-4 11-5; (U-13): Rohan Arya Gondi (1), TL, bt Prithvi Yadav, CH, 11-6 11-7 11-6; Ranbir Minocha (3/4), MH, bt Vir Jain (5/8), DL, 11-6 10-12 11-8 12-10; Devay Mehta (3/4), MH, bt Adith Achpal (5/8), TN, 11-1 11-1 11-7; Sharan Punjabi (2), MH, bt Arjun Gupta (5/8), DL, 11-2 11-4 11-5; (U-11): Gurveer Singh (1), CH, bt Kavya Anand (5/8), MH, 11-6 11-4 11-6; Udit Mishra (3/4), RJ, bt Arjun Morey (5/8), MH, 11-6 11-9 11-9; Archith S (3/4), TN, bt Priyaan Thakker (5/8), MH, 11-6 11-3 4-11 11-6; Aakash Kannan (2), TN, bt Parth Dogra (5/8), KA, 11-5 11-4 11-4 .

Girls: (U-17): Shamita Yadav (3/4), CH, bt Pragya Nagori, TL, 11-4 11-3 13-11; Malavika Ajith, TN, bt Saumya Raj (3/4), KA, 11-3 3-11 11-7 11-3; Krithica J S (2), TN, bt Aishwaria Payyan, TL, 11-5 11-2 11-7; (U-15): Uditi Mishra (1), RJ, bt Nandana Raja, TN, 11-3 11-3 11-4; Anushka Rawat, GA, bt Netra Krishna (3/4), TN, 11-4 11-5 11-13 9-11 11-7; Trina Iris (3/4), TN, bt Aanchal Mishra, RJ, 11-2 11-7 11-4; Sarah Vethekar (2), MH, def. Aanchal Rathor, GA, 11-6 11-9 8-11 11-3; (U-13):Deepika Vinoth Kumar (1), TN, bt Tamanna D (5/8), TN, 11-4 11-6 11-2; Maansha Bohra (3/4), RJ, bt Shameena Riaz (5/8), TN, 11-8 8-11 11-4 11-8;
Ashmitha Kandhi Arumugam (3/4), TN, bt Tanishka Singh, GA, 11-8 11-1 11-5;
Tiana Parasrampuria (2), MH, bt Harini V, TN, 14-12 11-6 9-11 11-8; (U-11): QF
Anahat Singh (1), DL, bt Torita Chakravarty, TL, 11-1 11-0 11-2; Chhavi Saran (3/4), RJ, bt Pia Singh (5/8), MH, 11-7 11-5 11-3; Navya Sundararajan (3/4), UP, bt Nayantara Krishna (5/8), TN, 11-4 11-8 11-3; Ipsa Mishra (2), MH, bt Samairah Bhandare, GA, 11-5 11-0 11-0 .

Men(Over 35): Komal Jothi, KA, bt Prem Chander, CH, 11-7 11-2 11-2; Arvind Kumar G (5/8), TL, bt Sriram Rao (3/4), MH, 11-9 11-3 11-4;Kabir Subedar (3/4), MH, bt Lalit Kumar Agnihotri (5/8), MH, 11-7 11-6 11-6; Khushwant Singh (2), CH, bt Ravikrishna Burla, TL, 11-2 11-9 11-3.

by Abhishek Shukla

Secunderabad ClubTelengana Open Squash: Tamil Nadu players shines

Secunderabad: Tamil Nadu players were in focus in the junior boys section of the Secunderabad ClubTelengana Open Squash, a two-star national tournament which got underway here on Wednesday.

Expectedly the three glass courts at the Secunderabad club was a beehive of activity as matches went on non stop from morning. There were a spate of walk overs too but overall it was a day that witness keen tussles and a few close wins.

The tournament is being held for the first time after the formation of Telengana State.

The results:

Boys: pre-quarterfinal: U-11: Gurveer Singh (1), CH, bt Darshil Parasrampuria, TN, 11-3 11-4 11-5; Kavya Anand (5/8), MH, bt Shaurya Shah, MH, 11-5 11-8 11-3; Arjun Morey (5/8), MH, bt Dushyant Dhar Dubey, MH, 11-1 11-8 8-11 13-11; Archith S (3/4), TN, bt Aryan Shah, MH, 11-5 11-9 11-7; Priyaan Thakker (5/8), MH, bt Naithik D, TN, 11-0 11-3 11-0; Aakash Kannan (2), TN, bt Advaith J, TN, 11-3 11-2 11-3; (U-13): Rohan Arya Gondi (1), TL, bt Hunarpal Kohli, MH, 11-8 11-2 11-2; Vir Jain (5/8), DL, bt Dheemant Dhar Dubey, MH, 11-9 11-7 7-11 5-11 11-5; Ranbir Minocha (3/4), MH, bt Arihant Chordia, TN, 11-5 11-5 12-10; Adith Achpal (5/8), TN, bt Paygun Eshwar, TN, 11-5 11-4 11-2; (U-15): Navaneeth Prabhu S (1), TN, bt Akanksh Nair, AP, 11-6 11-6 11-6 (U-17): round one: Nandha Kumar, TN, bt R J Israel Titus Raja, TN, 11-8 8-11 13-11 11-7; Ashwin Krishnan, HP, bt Krishang Agarwal, MH, 11-5 11-2 11-1 .

Girls: Ankit Acharya (5/8), KA, bt Dhananjay Mundhra, TL, 11-3 11-2 11-7; Ashraf Hussain (5/8), DL, bt Sathyanandhan Mp, TN, 11-5 11-6 11-0; Akash Ashokumar (9/16), TN, bt Shiva Nagarale, KA, 11-1 11-4 11-3 ; Pratik Mohite (9/16), MH, w/o Srijan Singh, KA,; Arjun Sitaram, KA, bt Shankaran Parthiban (9/16), TN, 11-8 11-6 11-4; Prateek Gwalani, TL, w/o Shashi Pandey (5/8), MH; Rahul Kumar (5/8), KA, w/o Neeraj Rana, TL; Desappan Ravi (9/16), TN, bt Aditya Rajpal, KA, 11-4 11-6 11-5; Ravi Madabhushi (9/16), KA, w/o Rishi Gaggar, TL; Jamal Sakib (2), UP bt Naseem Ali, AP, 11-3 11-6 11-5; (round one): Jeganraj Jeyaprakasam, KA, bt Amarendu Srivastava, UP, 11-5 11-4 11-3; Naseem Ali, AP, bt Jebindran V, TN, 11-3 11-1 11-8 .

Men (Over 35): pre-quarterfinal: Prem Chander, CH, w/o Harjinder Singh (1), DL; Komal Jothi, KA, bt Promod Dogra (5/8), MH, 11-2 11-3 11-1; Arvind Kumar G (5/8), TL, bt Rakesh Kumar Saran, RJ, 11-3 11-3 11-5; Sriram Rao (3/4), MH, bt Ankur Sood, CH, 11-5 11-6 11-7; Kabir Subedar (3/4), MH, bt Priyatosh Dubey, TL, 11-5 5-11 11-8 11-4; Lalit Kumar Agnihotri (5/8), MH, bt Sitaram Harihar, TL, 11-9 7-11 12-10 5-11 13-11; Ravikrishna Burla, TL, w/o Rajeev Bhatia (5/8), MP; Khushwant Singh (2), CH, bt Prem Chand, TL, 15-13 11-3 13-11.

by Abhishek Shukla

Joshna Chinappa loses the final of the HKFC International squash

Hong Kong: Joshna Chinappa’s dreams of a title ended swiftly on Saturday with the top seeded Egyptian Nour El Tayeb, in ruthless touch, racing to a straight game victory in the final of the HKFC International, a major PSA World tour event.

The former Egyptian national champion, currently ranked 14, two rungs below Joshna , defeated the third seeded Indian 11-4, 11-4, 11-4 to lift only her fourth PSA title, the last being more than a year ago.

by Abhishek Shukla

Abhay and Sunayna are in their maiden PSA final

Coffs Harbour (Australia): Two leading Indian juniors just coming into the senior ranks Abhay Singh and Sunanya Kuruvilla are on the threshold of touching a milestone in their careers by reaching the final in their respective section of the North Coast Squash Open, a PSA world tour event here on Saturday.

A win would be a maiden PSA title-triumph for both players, who are trainees at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai. What is significant about Abhay’s rise is that he had qualified for the main draw via the qualifiers. Beating New Zealand’s Ben Grindrod, the fourth seed, was his first round success and then in the quarterfinal, he ousted the Australian Solayman Nowrozi. Both matches were won in convincing style and then in the semi-final Abhay showed his fighting qualities against the top seeded Rhys Dowling of Australia. Down by two games and 7-10 in the third game, the Indian made a dramatic come back to not just win that crucial game but polish off the next two for a sensational show of grit and guts. Abhay won 6-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8 for his maiden PSA final.

Sunayna on the other hand had a tough start, a five-game tussle against sixth seed Abbie Palmer of New Zealand before getting past into the quarterfinal where she swept aside fourth seed Samantha Foyle of Australia in straight games. In the semi-final, Sunanya picked a leaf from her male colleague to fight her way past the second seed Lisa Camilleri of Austrlia in five games. Sunayna’s 5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6 effort put her also in a PSA final for the first time.

by Abhishek Shukla

Joshna Chinappa moved into the final of the HKFC International

Hong Kong: Indian national champion Joshna Chinappa shocked the top seed Annie Au of Hong Kong to storm into the final of the HKFC International, a PSA world tour event here on Friday.

The third seed Indian who had a tough quarterfinal match against the 8th seed Liu Tsz-Ling,also of Hong Kong yesterday, shed aside her diffidence in wearing down the highly rated opponent, who is ranked 10th in theWorld, two rungs above Joshna. The 71 minute match ended 11-9, 10-12, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 in Joshna’s favour and in the process the Indian had done a repeat performance of the same event last year by not only moving into the final but beating the same opponent! On that occasion too the match had gone the full distance of five games.

Joshna now awaits the winner of fourth seed Tesni Evans (Wales) and second seed Nour El Tayeb (Egypt) for the title match on Saturday.

by Abhishek Shukla

Harinder Pal Sandhu won his fifth PSA title in a row in Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur: Harinder Pal Sandhu’s winning streak in the PSA circuit continues. The former national champion won his fifth straight title and 10thoverall here on Friday when he defeated Mohd Syafiq Kamal of Malaysia in the final of the Malaysian Tour event.

The top seeded Indian who had a relatively easy move upto the final was given a tough fight by the second seeded Malaysian before Harinder prevailed 11-8, 10-12, 11-3, 9-11, 11-6. This is the seventh time that the two had met and Harinder has emerged the winner each time. “A fabulous win for Harinder and we are proud of him,” said the national coach Cyrus Poncha. Harinder is a trainee at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai.

This is Harinder’s 22nd match win in a row in the circuit starting with the Malaysian Tour again, in May. He followed that success with wins in Makati Open in Philippines, South Australian Open and Victorian Open (both Australia), the last one in July.