1st NSCI OPEN (20-24 Nov’11)

Top seed and India No. 3 Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu helped himself to a double crown in the 1st NSCI Open Squash Championship 2011 at the National Sports Club of India, Worli.
 

Sandhu, the CCI-Western India runner-up, beat Sandeep Jangra of the Services 12-10, 11-9, 11-8 in an exciting championship round that lasted an hour. Jangra came up with a surprise challenge to make every set a close contest as Sandhu held on to take it away.

Later, Sandhu added the doubles crown along with state mate Ravi Dixit as the pair beat cousins Sandeep and Vikas Jangra in straight sets.

Saumya Karki, who won a double at the CCI-Western India last week, continued to dominate the circuit by winning the women’s title with an exciting 9-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-9 victory over arch-rival Urvashi Joshi of Jindal Squash Academy, after surprisingly dropping the opening set and enduring a tight fourth set.

But the toast of the day was CCI lad Ness Billimoria who lit up the finals after going down fighting to top seed Vrishab Kotian of Tamil Nadu in a four-set thriller in the under-19 final.

Trailing 1-2, Billimoria gave the favourite a scare in the crucial fourth set that went down to the wire with Kotian snatching a nail-biter at 17-15.

While Akanksha Salunkhe of Goa completed a rewarding campaign by winning the girls under-13 crown, it was a rich haul for Tamil Nadu’s talented posse of players as Adithya Raghavan, Sandeep Ramachandran, Mayuri N. and Professional Aiyappan Parthiban emerged victorious in their respective categories.

Results (All Finals): 
Doubles: 
Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu/Ravi Dixit (TN) bt Sandeep Jangra/Vikas Jangra (Services) 11-3, 11-5.

Men: 
Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (TN) bt Sandeep Jangra (IAF) 12-10, 11-9, 11-8.

Women: 
Saumya Karki (Hiranandani Club) bt Urvashi Joshi (Jindal) 9-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-9.

Professionals: 
Aiyappan Parthibhan (TN) bt Sanjay Pawar (Otters Club) 11-5, 12-10, 11-7.

Under-9: 
Neel Joshi (Otters Club) bt Tanay Punjabi 11-3, 11-8, 11-8

Boys U-11: 
Tushar Shahani bt Advait Adik (Otters Club) 11-2, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7.


Boys U-13: 
Adithya Raghavan (TN) bt Dev Vazirani (Khar Gym) 11-7, 11-8, 11-5.

Boys U-15: 
Sandeep Ramachandran (TN) bt S. Velavan (TN) 11-9, 12-10, 11-9.

Boys U-17: 
Madhav Dhingra (Otters Club) bt Arjun Kochhar (CCI) 11-6, 11-7, 11-9.

Boys U-19: 
Vrishab Kotian (TN) bt Ness Billimoria (CCI) 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 17-15.

Girls U-11: 
Aditi Raheja (Otters Club) bt Megha Bhatia 7-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-4, 11-8.

Girls U-13: 
Akanksha Salunke (Goa) bt Nikita Joshi (Otters Club) 8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8.

Girls U-15: 
Mayuri N. (TN) bt Aishwarya Nambiar (Country Club) 13-11, 5-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8.

Girls U-17: 
Urvashi Joshi (Jindal) bt Aishwarya Nambiar (Country Club) 11-4, 11-5, 7-11, 11-6.