Squash fever grips Chennai as World Cup begins today
The central atrium at the EA mall was packed on Monday, when Minister Udhayanidhi declared the showpiece event open and unveiled the glittering trophy at a gala opening ceremony.
CHENNAI: Squash fever is gripping the sport-loving city as the revamped Squash World Cup will be hosted at two venues – Express Avenue mall and Indian Squash Academy – in Chennai from Tuesday to Saturday (June 13 to 17).
The central atrium at the EA mall was packed on Monday, when Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin declared the showpiece event open and unveiled the glittering trophy at a gala opening ceremony.
The World Squash Federation (WSF) president Zena Wooldridge, Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) president Anil Wadhwa and championship committee chairman N Ramachandran were also present on the occasion.
With the eight-team World Cup being hosted in the country’s ‘squash capital’, the onus will be on India to go all the way. Representing the second-seeded India will be the quartet of Joshna Chinappa, Tanvi Khanna, Saurav Ghosal and Abhay Singh. India will first have to get past the group stage, where it has been pitted alongside Hong Kong, South Africa and Japan in Pool B.
Commenting on India’s chances, SRFI secretary general Cyrus Poncha said: “We have got a tough pool… Japan is also a part of it. Satomi Watanabe, who is in the women’s top-20 (ranked 19), will add strength to the Japan team. We hope to get the better of Japan, top the pool and then do well in the semi-finals.”
The top-two teams from each pool will qualify for the semi-finals that will take place on Friday. Perennial powerhouse Egypt is the top seed despite not sending its crème de la crème.
Asked about many superstars giving the World Cup a miss, Poncha replied: “The WSF had written to everyone. These are the players who have come here. I am positive that we will have top players coming in soon (in the upcoming editions).”
For the first time in WSF history, matches will be played to a best of five games to seven points. “There is a lot of uncertainty. You have no time to settle in. You have to be at it from the word go. You got to go for it from the start, be aggressive, be positive.”
