Egypt retain WJW; India secures best ever result

Egypt beat Hong Kong in the finals, while India came 3rd

Final:
[1] EGYPT bt [6] HONG KONG 2/0

British Junior Open Squash Finals

G13 Yathreb Adel (Egy) bt Salma Hani (Egy) 11/7, 11/8, 3/11, 11/8 (39m) 
B13 Amr Aboul Souad (Egy) bt Kush Kumar (Ind) 11/7, 7/11, 9/11, 11/9, 11/7 (41m)

G15 Nour El Sherbeny (Egy) bt Kanzy El Defrawy (Egy) 11/6, 11/6, 10/12, 4/11, 11/4 (42m) 
B15 Mahesh Mangaonkar (Ind) bt Oliver Holland (Eng) 11/5, 7/11, 11/5, 12/10 (40m)

G17 Nour El Tayeb (Egy) bt Nouran El Torky (Egy) 12/10, 11/8, 11/6 (24m)
B17 Amr Khalid Khalifa (Egy) bt Danish Atlas Khan (Pak) 11/5, 11/3, 14/12 (40m)

G19 Wee Wern Low (Mas) bt Dipika Pallikal (Ind) 11/2, 11/8, 8/11, 11/8 (42m) 
B19 Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt Ivan Yuen (Mas) 11/8, 11/7, 13/11 (33m)

Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa retain National squash titles

Defending champion Joshna Chinappa defeated Dipika Pallikal 11-8, 11-7, 11-2 in just 23 minutes to win her eighth national title, at the Secunderabad Club

The 22-year-old reigning champion won a wonderful display of drive-ins from both flanks and complemented them with some delectable drops. Joshna said she was determined to win straight to prove a point and she had trained at the ICL Academy. “It is always a great feeling to be the National champion, though the first title when I was just 14 stands out as very special,” said a jubilant Joshna. “Every National is a different proposition and one needs to be consistent over the years to win these titles. I am happy that I am able to do that,” she said.

Title-holder Saurav Ghosal (Tamil Nadu) warded off a spirited challenge from Siddarth Suchde (Maharashtra) before winning his fourth successive crown 11-13, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4. It was a top-class match. Saurav came from abroad a few days before the nationals while Siddharth had trained for a month in Chennai and benefited by it. The last few games were well fought and it was the experience of Saurav that helped him prevail.  “I dedicate this win to my grandparents — Dr. S.B.N. Ghosal and Dina Ghosal,” an elated Ghosal said.

In the pro-category, the 23-year-old A. Parthiban defeated his former coach and 10-time champion B. Balamurugan 12-10, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 in 48 minutes to lift the title in his maiden appearance.

N. Ramachandran, President, Squash Rackets Federation of India, gave away the prizes.

Men: Saurav Ghosal (TN) bt Siddarth Suchde (Maha) 11-13, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4.

Women: Joshna Chinappa (TN) bt Dipika Pallikal (TN) 11-8, 11-7, 11-2.

Pro : A. Parthiban (TN) bt B. Balamurugan (TN) 12-10, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8.

56th ICL senior National squash championship: Semis

Men: Saurav Ghosal bt Harrinder Pal Singh 11-8, 11-4, 14-12; Siddharth Suchde bt Ritwik Bhattacharya 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-4.

Pro: A. Prathiban bt Rohit More 11-2, 11-7, 11-3; B. Bala Murugan bt Dalip Tripathi 11-7, 11-8, 11-7.

Women: Joshna Chinappa bt Anaka Alankamony 11-7, 11-6, 11-5; Dipika Pallikal bt Anwesha Reddy 11-6, 11-7, 11-8.

Saurav & Annie lift Chennai Open titles

Men’s final:
[1] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt [2] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-6 (49min)

Women’s final:
[5] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt [4] Annie Au (HKG) 9-3, 10-8, 10-8 (44min)

Saurav Ghosal claimed his 3rd PSA title defeating Ritwik Bhattacharya in four games. The match was an excellent display of rally finishing. Ritwik played a tight first game and this showed in his finishing the game in a quick 10 min 11-7. The second game set the tone for the rest of the match … unforced errors on Ritwik’s end allowed Saurav to level the match. The next couple of games saw Saurav gliding over the court and the ‘human rubber band’ was able to run down practically every ball to take control of the third game as well.

The 4th game saw Saurav with a runaway 5-1 lead, and though Ritwik played some excellent points, he wasn’t in a position to wrest the momentum away from Saurav. The match ended tamely though, with a stroke being awarded to Saurav to retain the Chennai Open crown won last year.

Dipika searching for her 1st WISPA tour title struggled at the onset with Annie’s drop – drive game. In the 2nd Dipika squandered her 8-0 lead going down to Annie 10-8. In the 3rd Annie played aggressive and ran to a 7-2 lead, Dipika fought hard and in 1 hand was serving for the game after winning 7 points to lead 8-7. In the final twist Annie won the 3rd game 10-8. A remarkable achievement however by Dipika to get to the final and Overall a great event for Indian Squash.

Anaka u-15 Asian Junior champ

Anaka Alankamony bagged India’s lone gold medal at the Asian Junior Squash Championship, while both Dipika Pallikal and Mahesh Mangaonkar settled for silver after losing their respective finals in the tournament which concluded in Busan, Korea. Anaka, the top seeded, beat Hong Kong’s Ho Ka Po 9-6, 9-6, 9-5 in the girls under-15 category final to clinch her eighth international title.

World Junior Women’s Team, Hong Kong

India finished 9th, the team comprised of Dipika Pallikal, Anwesha Reddy, Surbhi Mishra and Harita Omprakash.

India beat Germany 3:0
India beat South Africa 2:0
France beat India 2:1
India beat Switzerland 3:0
India beat Korea 3:0
New Zealand beat India 3:0
India beat China 3:0

Sports star article on SRFI, ICL Squash Academy

The winners at the Chennai Nationals had at some point of time been, or continue to be part of the India Cements Academy. This is a tribute to the Academy’s systematic and scientific training. Ten years can be a short period in history. But for Indian squash much has happened during this time ever since the India Cements Limited Academy was established in Chennai in the late 1990s.

With the setting up of the Academy, one big dream of squash lovers was fulfilled then; now, like any businessman appreciating the returns on his huge investments, N. Ramachandran, the Executive Director of India Cements and Secretary-General of the Sq uash Rackets Federation of India, is a contented man. Especially after seeing the results of the National Championship and the National Doubles Championship, which concluded in Chennai recently. Tamil Nadu swept all the five titles at stake. And what is more, each of the winners had at some point of time been or continues to be part of the Academy. What more can the advocates of systematic and scientific training ask for? Tamil Nadu’s success has been overwhelming and its domination has been envied by others.

It is not that all the trainees at the India Cements Academy belong to Tamil Nadu. Some of them come from Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, and the shifting of their base has not posed a problem, for their schooling and board and lodge were easily worked out. Ultimately, the refrain is if Saurav Ghosal can come over from Kolkata and become a big success in Chennai, then the others too can do so. All this goes to show what can be achieved with organised training. The success of the India Cements Academy should pave the way for more such facilities in other parts of the country such as Ajmer, Indore, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, where squash talent traditionally surfaces. With squash getting increasingly accepted at the international level — it is one of the events in the Asian Games and in the next decade or so should enter the Olympics — the sport is bound to evoke greater interest.

Already the Government of India has responded positively to the recent achievements of the nation’s squash players, like Saurav Ghosal winning the bronze medal at the Doha Asian Games, by bringing the sport into the priority list. As a result, squash would command more government funds for players’ training and their foreign trips. However, Ramachandran is not particularly enamoured by this. ‘The Government funds are fine but we will always find our own resources,’ is his motto. He believes, the lesser the procedural hassles — the Government matters are always that — the better it is for both the officials and players to plan well ahead. And surely the SRFI supremo is looking ahead to India making a mark in squash at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010.

What inspires Ramachandran are the performances of Saurav Ghosal, who won his third National title, and Joshna Chinappa, who claimed her seventh title, and her firth in succession. Both the players also have decent world rankings — Saurav is ranked No. 42, while Joshna is 39. Besides, the bright potential of some of the young brigade cannot be discounted, especially Siddarth Suchde, a diligent player fresh from Harvard who is keen to hone his skills.

In the final of the Nationals, Suchde was laid low by Ghosal, but his performance clearly showed that he has the fire in his belly. The way Parth Sharma and Naresh Kumar, both under 20 years, have matured as a doubles pair is another big gain for Indian squash. The duo shocked Ghosal and Harinder Pal Singh for the title. Maj. S. Maniam, the Consultant Coach of SRFI, said at the valedictory function of the Nationals, “It is a good happening. We know we have an established and strong pair ready for the big challenge.” he said.

Joshna remains India’s best bet on the distaff side. She intends training under Malcolm Willstrop, who also coaches Saurav, and the chances are that she will go up in her rankings. Dipika Pallikal, who finished next best to Joshna, is trained by Mohamed Essam Hafizan of Egypt, a former top-30 player. Dipika is still in school and so has age on her side. Playing against a tough rival like Joshna keeps her motivated. A notch or two behind Dipika are Anwesha Reddy, Harita Omprakash, Anaka, Aparajitha, all in school but keen trainees and ready to excel. The Chennai Nationals will also be remembered for Balamurugan’s exploits. The man, who was adopted by the Academy and who rose to become a Level II coach, went on to win his tenth title (professional category) in a row.

Indian team for world junior womens championship

Hoe Hin White Flower Ointment World junior women’s squash championship to be held in Hong Kong from August 1 to 11.
The Squash Rackets Federation of India announced the Indian contingent: Dipika Pallikal, V. Anwesha Reddy, Surbhi Misra and Harita Om Prakash. The coach-cum-manager will be Ms. Bhuvaneswari Kumari.

Indian national squash finals

Men :Saurav Ghosal {TN} beat Siddharath Suchde {MAH}9-2 9-3 9-0 {40m}
Women : Joshna Chinappa {TN} beat Dipika Pallikal {TN}9-2 4-9 9-5 9-1 {34m}
Pro : Balamurugan {TN} beat Dalip Tripathi {WB}9-0 9-2 9-5 {26m}
Ovr 50 : B. I. Singh {ND} beat Vaman Apte {MAH}9-3 9-7 10-9
Ovr 40 : Rohit Thawani {MAH} beat Deepak Moolani {MAH}6-9 10-8 10-9 9-3
Ovr 35 : Niraj Shrgaonkar {MAH} beat Raja Parthasarathy {MAH}9-5 7-9 7-9 9-7 9-2 {63m}Playoffs
Gaurav Nandrajog {ND} beat Harinder Pal Singh {TN}8-10 9-1 9-7 5-9 9-4 {89m}
Naresh Kumar {TN} beat Parth Sharma {TN}9-5 3-9 9-0 10-8 {40m}
Supreet Singh {MAH} beat Ayappan Parthiban {TN}4-2 Retired

Anwesha Reddy {TN} beat Surbhi Mishra {RAJ}7-9 9-4 9-1 9-0
Harita Omprakash {TN} beat Anaka Alankamony {TN}10-8 9-6 9-6
Dheeya Somaiya {MP} beat Komal Sharma {TN}9-0 9-0 9-0
Sanjay Pawar {MAH} beat Kalimuthu {TN}9-5 9-0 9-1 {32m}
Vijay Jangra {RAJ} beat Vinodh Kumar {TN}9-1 9-6 9-2
Desappan {TN} beat Hari Om Tripathi {TN}9-7 8-10 9-3 9-5