Joshna, Saurav reign supreme

Top seeds Joshna Chinappa and Saurav Ghosal (both from Tamil Nadu) added another accolade to their already prize-filled cabinet by emerging victorious in the women’s and men’s singles events respectively at the 77th SRFI Senior National Squash Championships here.

While Joshna clinched a record-extending 18th title by overcoming Delhi’s Tanvi Khanna 3-1 (8-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7), Saurav dispatched second seed Abhishek Pradhan of Maharashtra 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 to take the honours for the 13th time. The aficionados, assembled at the Indian Squash Academy (ISA) Glass Court in the city on Saturday, were in for a shock right at the beginning.

The 23-year-old Tanvi, who defeated higher-seeded Sunayna Kuruvilla in the last four stage, made a dream start. The Delhi representative managed to take a game – the opening one 11-8 – off the legendary Joshna. The latter, a record holder in the national scene, however, dictated the play in the following games.

There was no stopping Joshna as she comfortably grabbed the next three games (11-6, 11-4, 11-7) and didn’t let the contest go to the decider. “I was expecting her to come out firing and she did. Tanvi comes prepared for her matches and has a very solid plan. I don’t know how long I am going to keep beating her (laughs),” Joshna told reporters after her triumph.

“This is one of my hardest matches at the Nationals in the last 15 years for sure. I just hung in there and hoped to play a steady game,” added the Tamil Nadu-based player. In the men’s singles summit clash, the country’s top-ranked player, Saurav, was hardly tested as Abhishek failed to display the fighting qualities he exhibited in the semi-final win against the experienced Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (Tamil Nadu).

Saurav ran away with the title decider in next to no time, concluding the championships in style, where he didn’t drop a single game throughout. “Winning the Nationals is always nice. I came here with a plan of trying out new things and a lot of it was executed. But, there is still work to be done. This victory has set me up well for my upcoming international assignments,” said an elated Saurav.

Results: Final: Men: Saurav Ghosal (1), TN, bt Abhishek Pradhan (2),MH, 11-6, 11-5, 11-6.

Women: Joshna Chinappa (1), TN, bt Tanvi Khanna (3/4), DL, 8-11, 11-6,11-4, 11-7.