Smooth sailing for top seeds (Article in Asian Age, Mumbai : 4/7/2003)
Fancied players went
through to the quarterfinals without a hitch, in the Rs.3.70 lakh prize
money Herald Maritime Services All-India Squash Open here on Thursday.
Third seed Vivan
Rahmanan of Singapore was the lone ranked player to fall by the wayside,
upset by Sandeep Jangra in the boys under-19 pre-quarter finals at the
glassbacked courts of the Otters Club.
Rahmanan, who had
fared well in the boys under-19 category of the Otters Open recently, found
a canny opponent in the young Jangra and went down 15-9, 10-15, 15-12,
15-14.
Among the women’s
matches, the fixture between Shivangi Paranjpe and Chandrika Zaveri hogged
attentation, with the former going through on five-game victory.
The 12 year-old
Shivangi outplayed Chandrika 15-6, 9-15, 7-15, 15-12 15-10 to set up a
quarter-final clash with second seed Deepali Anvekar.
Deepali wasted no time
while brushing aside Delkush Bhatia 15-1, 15-1, 15-12.
Also advancing with
ease were top seed and National champion Mekhala Subedar, third seed
Priyanka Yadav and fourth seed Rachita Vora. Mekhala, who is the best bet to
lift the women’s singles title in the absence of Joshna Chinappa, had an
unlikely opponent in the nine-year old Sachika Balwani and gave away a few
points before winning 15-3, 15-6, 15-6.
The men’s pre-quarter
finals saw an interesting encounter between the unseeded Saket Wali and
Dhampur’s fourth seed Amjad Khan. Wali played his best squash in the second
game, where he ran out Khan close before losing 15-17. However he ran out
of steam in the third losing tamely at 6-15. Wali had lost the first game
10-15.
While top seed Ritwik
Bhattacharya enjoyed an off day. Second seed Sourav Ghosal of Chennai took
time to get into his groove as he gave away more points than necessary.
He finally won 15-4,
15-11, 15-7 over Vaibhav Gupta.
That winning feeling (Article in Mid-Day, Mumbai : 2/7/2003)
The usual hustle was
missing at the Otters Club on the first day of the Herald Maritime Squash
Championship 2003 yesterday. In fact, there was an erie silence on the
otherwise active squash courts.
But that could have
been because of the qualifying rounds and so the quality of squash was not
quite as expected. But the surprising atmosphere threw light on many, for
who the aim of participation was not just about winning.
Though the players
competed hard against each other in the qualifying rounds to set up a match
with some of the best players in the country, winning was not always their
only objective.
“With school and
tuitions, I don’t get a chance to play squash at all. I have played only
two tournaments in the last two years. I am not in touch so I don’t know how
many matches I will get to play. But I really enjoyed playing today,” said
14 year old Aakash Teckchandani, after beating Pramod Salvi 15-17, 15-13,
10-15, 15-7, 15-13 in the first of the boy’s under-19 qualifying round.
For Poona’s Deepak
Moolani, the tournament offers nothing but joy and a chance to roll back the
time. “Playing squash has been my passion and it is my way of keeping fit.
Also, I have known people like (Chandrakant) Pawar Sir and Avinash (Bhavnani),
squash incharge at Otters Club). It feels nice to get to meet them after a
long time,” the 39 year old said.
Lured by the prize
money (the highest ever in India) several players like Jay Katoch and Mahesh
Gulia have made their way from Delhi and are not sure even to get a sniff at
the cash prize. The duo has never played in Mumbai earlier.
Gaurav
gears up for the big challenge (Article in Indian Express, Mumbai : 5/7/2003)
If nothing else, this
monsoon might just make Gaurav Nandrajog more religious. The talented
youngester’s got a prayer on his lips these days- that just skill, talent
and drive should be enough to see him through to the one place he’s aspiring
for- the professional Squash Player’s Association (PSA) circuit.
The 18year-old Delhi
lad is turning professional like his squash peers junior national champion
Sourav Ghosal (16), Mumbai’s Supreet Singh (19), and Chennai’s Joshna
Chinappa (16), but unfortunately the Squash Racquets Federation on India (SRFI)
has asked him to fend foe himself on the PSA Tour, unlike the other three,
who are being sponsored by SRFI.
But Gaurav is
seemingly unfazed after having received the short end of the SRFI stick.
“I was informed that
they do not have the finances to back me on the Tour. So now I’m hoping that
the prize money I make from the tournaments I play, will see me through to
the PSA tour,” said Gaurav after beating Jindal’s Vikas Jangra 15-10, 15-10,
15-11 to reach the final of the Herald Maritime Services Open Squash
Championship at the Otters club on Friday.
Topseed in the U-19
category since Sourav decided to play in the Men’s category, Gaurav will now
play Mumbai’s Sahil Vora in the final and from the looks of it, he could
certainly do with the Rs.50,000 prize money that awaits the winner.
Gaurav and Sourav, who
are also part of the National team that finished with a silver in the Asian
Junior Championship held earlier this year, have played in the final of
almost every junior squash tournament in the country, invariably with Sourav
usually getting the better of the exchanges.
“I am really looking
forward to playing on the PSA circuit, that’s probably the best exposure we
can get,” says Gaurav, The trio of Supreet, Sourav and Gaurav will make
their PSA debut in New Zealand in August.
The commerce student
from Shree Ram Commerce College, Delhi knows a thing or two about difficult
finances. He has been forced to play in tournaments in South Esat Asia
because the European circuit, better when it comes to the kind of exposure
and competition, is too expensive.
Up Where he belongs (Article in Mid-Day, Mumbai b: 5/7/2003)
Dhampur find Amjad
Khan makes most of small city opportunities
Amjad Khan has nothing
fancy about him. Neither is he flamboyant like players from Mumbai or
Chennai, places considered to be the hubs of Indian Squash.
He commes from Dhampur,
a small town in Uttar Pradesh, where squash has just a miniscule presence.
But he did not let his lack of exposure come in the way as he reached the
semi-final of the Rs.3.70 lakh Herald Maritine Servises Squash Championship
2003 at Otters Club yesterday, beating Vishal Kapoor 15-8, 16-17, 15-14,
15-6.
“I did not expect a
fight from him as he has not been playing regularly. But I am happy with the
way I played,” the 19-year-old said. Though Khan never looked in control of
the match which Kapoor dictated with clever drop shots, it was Khan’s
fitness that saw him through.
“It is mainly about
fitness. If you are fit, you can at least survive in the match and hope to
convert the opportunities. That’s what I did,” Khan said.
But for Khan, who
finds a reason to play squash mainly because of the chairman of Dhampur
Sugar Mills, Vijay Goel, the sport has changed his life. “Mr. Goel was
interested in the sport and so he build a few squash courts. Many like me
started joining gradually and the interest grew,” he said.
Khan has been
supported throughout his six-years carrer by Goel who still pays for all his
expenses. “In Dhampur, we do not have any tournaments. So we have to go
outside to play. Many players like me are not in a good financial condition
and so he pays for all out trips,” the 19-year-old said.
Khan believes that
without Goel, he could not have been the player that he is now. “I am the
best player in Dhampur, others can learn from me, but I can only learn when
I playing tournaments like this one which has the best players playing.
“I could have been a
better player if I stayed in Mumbai or Chennai, but I can’t complain as
coming from Dhampur I can not expect more.”
Khan’s semi-final
match was against the top seed Ritwik Bhattacharya yesterday evening and the
teenager was hoping to atleast take the match to him.
Bhattachraya was just
too good on the day, prevailing 15-2, 15-5, 15-2.
Yadav
upsets Anvekar (Article in Times of India, Mumbai : 5/7/2003)
While the rain came
down in buckets outside, inside in the confines of the squash court at the
Otters Club, Priyanka Yadav entered her first major women’s final in the
Rs.3.7 lakh Herald Maritime Service Squash Open.
Priyanka upset No.2
seed Deepali Anvekar 15-9, 5-15, 15-10, 15-12 in the semi finals on Friday.
She now has an enviable task as she plays No.1 seed Mekhala Subedar in the
title round.
Priyanka had once
before made a final in a girls category but never in the women’s event. In
the past Deepali always beat Priyanka but on Thursday it was a different
story. Priyanka was positive from the outset. And Deepali steadily wilted.
In the third game, Deepali broke her toenail but she gamely fought on. Yet
it was Priyanka who pulled through.
Mekhala, the reigning
National champion, made short work of Rachita Vora, winning 15-7, 15-11,
15-8. The 27-year old from Deolali hardly put a foot wrong as she breezed
into the final.
Shivangi
survives a thriller: (Atrtical in Indian Express, Mumbai : 4/7/2003)
Twelve year-old
Shivangi Paranjpe played out of her skin to outlast Chandrika Zaveri and set
up a meeting with former national champion Deepali Anvekar in the Rs.3.70
lakh prize money Herald Maritime Services All-India Squash Open at the
Otters Club on Thursday.
Shivangi dropped two
games before she prevailed 15-6, 9-15, 7-15, 15-12, 15-10 and did well to
reach the quarter-final, which could well be the end of the road for her
opponent medical student Deepali, who brushed aside Delkush Bhatia 15-1,
15-1, 15-2.
In the boys U-19
category, third seed Singapore’s Vivan Rahmanan of Singapore was upset by
Sandeep Jangra in pre-quarter-final clash. Rhamanan, who had fared well in
the boys under-19 category of the Otters Open recently, found a canny
opponent in the young Jangra and went down 15-9, 10-15, 15-12, 15-14.
Sandeep
shocks Vivan (Article in The Hindu, Delhi : 4/7/2003)
Sandeep Jangra pulled
the plug on the third seed Vivan Rahmanan in the boy’s under-19
pre-quarterfinals of the Rs.3.70 lakhs Herald Maritime Services All-Indian
Squash Open on Thursday.
The youngster used his
wiles to good effect for a 15-9, 10-15, 15-12, 15-14 victory at the
glassbacked Otters Club squash courts on a day when young Shivangi Paranjape
became the talking point with a display beyond her years in the women’s
category.
The Women’s event,
which got underway in the event conducted by Indian Squash Professionals,
saw 12-year old Shivangi holding her own in a tough five-setter over
Chandrika Zaveri, winning 15-6, 9-15, 7-15, 15-12, 15-10 for a quarter final
match-up with second seed Deepali Anvekar, who brushed aside Delkush Bhatia
in four games.
Top seed Mekhala
Subedar, third seed Priyanka Yadav and fourth seed Rachita Vora too advanced
to the next stage. Unseeded Saket Wali stretched himself in the men’s
pre-quarter-final against fourth seed Amjad Khan, but found the going
difficult as the match wore on, to bow out.
Second seed Sourav
Ghoshal curbed error-prone ways in time to shut out Vaibhav Gupta 15-4,
15-11, 15-7 in another men’s match.
Women on top at the Otters Club! (Article in Afternoon, Mumbai : 4/7/2003)
Women and girls alike
tasted action for the first time in the Rs.3.70 lakh prize money Herald
Maritime Services All-India Squash Open and fancied players went through to
the quarter-finals with out a hitch, while third seed Vivan Rahmanan of
Singapore was upset by Sandeep Jangra in the boys under-19
pre-quarter-finals at the glass backed courts of the Otters Club yesterday.
Rahmanan, who had
fared well in the boys under-19 category of the Otters Open recently, found
a canny opponents in the young Jangra and went down 15-9, 10-15, 15-12,
15-14.
Among the women’s
matches, the fixture between Shivangi Paranjpe and Chandrika Zaveri hogged
attention, with the former going through on a five-game victory. The
12-year-old Shivangi outplayed Chandrika 15-6, 9-15, 7-15, 15-12, 15-10 to
set up a quarter-final clash with second seed Deepali Anvekar. Deepali
wasted no time while brushing aside Delkush Bhatia 15-1, 15-1, 15-2. Also
advancing with ease were top seed and national champion Mekhala Subedar,
third seed Priyanka Yadav and fourth seed Rachita Vora Mekhala, who is the
best bet to lift the women’s singles title in the absence of Joshna Chinappa,
had an unlikely opponent in the nine-year old Sachika Balwani and gave away
a few points before winning 15-3, 15-6, 15-6.
The men’s pre-quarter
finals saw an interesting encounter between the unseeded Saket Wali and
Dhampur’s fourth seed Amjad Khan. Wali played his best squash in the second
game, where he ran Khan close before losing 15-17. However he ran out of
steam in the third, losing tamely at 6-15. He had lost the first game
10-15.
While top seed Ritwik
Bhattacharya enjoyed an off day, second seed Sourav Ghoshal Chennai took
time to get into his groove as he gave off more points than necessary in his
15-4, 15-11, 15-7 victory over Vaibhav Gupta.
Delhi’s Gaurav Nandrajog
and Mumbai’s Sahil Vora came up with performances befitting the final of a
major tournament as they battled over five games for more than two hours in
the boys under-19 final before Nandrajog prevailed in the Rs. 3.70 lakh
prize money Herald Maritime Services All-India Squash Open, which concluded
at the glass-backed courts of the Otters Club, here, on Saturday.
Nandrajog battled moments
of self-doubt, which saw him fritter away valuable points, before winning
12-15, 15-4, 11-15, 15-12, 15-12.
After the epic battle,
Nandrajog became richer by Rs 50,000, while Vora had to settle for Rs
25,000.
The men’s and women’s
finals went according to seeding and form, with top seed Ritwik Bhattacharya
of Delhi outplaying second seed Sourav Ghoshal of Chennai in four games at
15-6, 15-6, 14-15, 15-8 for the top purse of 15, 15-8 for the top purse of
Rs 75,000 and Deolali’s Mekhala Subedar, the top seeded women, defeating
third seed Priyanka Yadav 15-6, 15-6, 10-15, 15-8.
Mekhala took home the
winner’s purse of Rs 30,000.
Ritwik aims to
get into world’s top 50 (Article in Times of India, Mumbai : 2/7/2003)
Ritwik Bhattacharya is a
man on a mission. The lone Indian squash player on the PSA circuit hopes to
break into the top 50 by the end of the year. He is currently ranked No.
91.
The 23-year-old
three-times National champion who lost a memorable five-game Nationals final
to Manish Chotrani at the Otters Club was back at the same venue for the
Otters All-India Open, with Manish absent, this event turned out to be a
cake-walk as Ritwik defeated rising star Saurav Ghosal in a one-sided
final.
Bhattacharya, who has
spent three years on the PSA circuit, and his back in the city targeting the
biggest payout of Rs.70,000 at the Herald Maritime Service Open, spoke to
TNN on range of issue Excerpts.
What’s been your experience like on the PSA tourn, who are
you training with? I’m training with Neil Harvey in London, He is my
coach. He has been a good player himself, top 10, and he has also coached
World No.1 Peter Nicol and Malaysia’s
Ong Beng Hee. We have a great group out there, 10-12 players from all over
the world, and so I get someone to play with better than me everyday.
What are your expectations. How high will you go in the
rankings? It’s a tough question. I feel I am playing really well at the moment, I’ve
set some goals for myself and I want to be ranked in the top 50 by the end
of the year. I wanted to achieve it last year but it was unable to do so. I
played at least 15 tournaments and I reached four semifinals in ranking
tournaments so let’s see how it goes this year.
What do you feel about Saurav (Ghosal) and Supreet (Singh)
planning to join the PSA circuit? I believe even Gaurav (Nandrajog) is getting on the circuit, I think it is a
great idea. We just need more people to lay PSA tournaments and to have PSA
events in India. It’s like the
tennis circuit, people come here to play tournaments to improve their world
rankings. So let’s say you have six Indian in the top 150, they will start
aiming high. Now in India
one wants to become the top player but that is only 90 in the world. So when
someone starts playing in the circuit him aim will be higher, top 30 or 50.
What’s been your most memorable performance? There have been a few. I beat this guy Derek Ryan from Ireland in five games
last year. He was ranked No.10 at one time. I made four semifinals in the 12
tournaments I played last year but I was slightly disappointed as I thought
I could make a final in one of them. I need to win one of these events. A
couple of weeks ago I played the top three in the world Peter Nicol,
Jonathan Power and John White, the No.1,2 and 4 in the world. It was a great
experience because it gave me so much confidence, and I was not just blown
off the court, I managed to take a couple of games from them. I play, well
in practice matches and it I could translate that form in tournament play I
will become better.
Is there one particular match you remember? My first nationals win in ’99 in Kolkata when I beat Akhil Behl in five
games. I was 18 at that time, and to beat the likes of Akhil and Manish was
fantastic, it was also great because my parents were there and they don’t
see too many of my tournaments. I had also won the junior nationals at the
same time.
Mathur, Mohite,
Khaire enter round three (Article in Asian Age, Mumbai : 02/07/2003)
Willingdon sports’s Club Auloke Mathur came within qualifying for the main
draw of the Rs.3.70lakh prize money Herald Maritime Services Squash Open
2003, Organised by the Indian squash professionals, winning two of the men’s
qualifying round matches at the glass-back courts of the Otters Club, here
on Tuesday.
Mathur defeated Khar Gymkhana’s Ashish Gupta 15-7, 15-4, 15-4 to enter the
final round of the qualifying matches. Another victory will propel him into
the main draw. Also making the third round were professionals Anil Mohite
and Prashant Khaire.
The pros and
cons of turning pro (Article in Mid Day, Mumbai : 3/7/2003)
Bhattacharya reveals the
troubles associated with professionalism
Ever since Ritwik
Bhattacharya turned professional and left for London two years ago, he has
been a guiding force for aspiring youngsters in the country. Every time he
comes back to play a tournament, he is likely the elder brother everyone
turns to for advice.
But for the first
professional player of note from the country, life hasn’t been as easy as it
appears. “Sometime you really feel lonely. Then there’s pressure to perform
almost every time as you need your sponsors to pump in the money,” he said
after beating Rohit More 15-2, 15-6, 15-4 in the first round of the Herald
Maritime Services squash championship 2003 at the Otters Club yesterday.
Though life has been
better since last year, Bhattacharya still remembers the early struggle.
“There was no money and I didn’t know many people there. Also, I was all
alone and had to do things like cooking and cleaning by myself,” he said.
But there are positive
sides as well to being a pro. “ you get to travel a lot and you become a
better person when you seed different cultures and life styles. You meet
different people, it teaches you to adjust to every situation,” said
Bhattacharya every year.
Bhattacharya had shifted
base because he did not get to play enough competitive matches. But he feels
the scenario has changed for the better. “It is not that the standard is
great. But it is improving. There is still time for India to meet the
international standards but steps are being taken towards the right
direction.”
Bhattacharya, ranked 91
in the world, feels that India needs international events to encourage
youngsters. “When I saw the Mahindra and Mahindra tournament, I knew where I
wanted to reach and how much I had to improve. Today’s youngster needs that
kind of exposure without having to travel abroad,” he said.
O his progress here
Bhattacharya has a simple answer “I would like to believe that nobody can
beat me here.”
Today’s youngsters have it much better’ (Article in Mid Day, Mumbai : 04/07/2003)
Subedar believes she
would have done better with more opportunities
When Mekhala Subedar won
her women’s second match 15-3, 15-6, 15-6 in the Rs.3.70 lakh Herald
Maritime Services Squash Championship 2003 at Otters Club yesterday –
against 10-year-old Sachika Balwani – it epitomized the change in Indian
squash in the last five year.
“So many players at a
young age are taking up the game. This is good because it will intensify the
competition and will raise the level of squash in India,” Subedar said.
Though the 27-year-old is
happy at the way squash is progressing, there is a ting of sadness as
opportunities were quite rare when she started out. “There were just a few
players and the competition was not that tough. It was not at all as it is
now,” the current nationals champion said.
Subedar also said that
with the increase in the number of tournaments, the junior players have
plenty of chances to make a name for themselves. “They play through the year
and tournaments like this one with high amount of cash prize creates more
interest.
“I feel I could have been
a better player if such conditions were present when I was a junior player.
Players like Joshna Chinappa, Vaidehi Reddy and a others have gained
experience quickly as they get many chance to play international events as
well,” she said.
The junior team will be
soon heading for the junior world championship and Subedar felt India should
perform well. “They are talented lot and they have trained hard for it. I am
hopeful of a good performance from them.”
Subedar also credited the
growth of talent to the Indian Cements Squash Academy in Chennai. “Such
academies are a must to produce quality players. It has made a lot of
difference to players in the country.”
Does Subedar’s engagement
to Delhi-based Ankur Srivastava; and impending marriage (November 20),
signal the end to a successful career? “I will continue to lay for a few
more years. I believe I can still do well and after the loss to Joshna last
week, I have started training hard again. There is time still and I want to
achieve success at the international level as well.”
In a match up between
contrasting styles, it was the top seed Gaurav Nandrajog’s subdued and
consistent game that prevailed over the more aggressive but error-prone
local lad Sahil Vora in the final of the Rs.3.70 lakh Herald Maritime
Services Squash Championship at the Otters Club on Saturday.
Nandrajog won 12-15,
15-4, 11-15, 15-12, 15-12.
Surprises were in store
for the audience who expected Nandrajog to win the match. Vora played better
squash in the first game making few errors and making the top seed work for
every point.
Vora also benefited from
Nandrajog’s inability to finish off points when he got the chance. Vora
stayed in the rally long enough and managed to find a winner more
consistently. The turning point came when Vora was trailing 10-12.
With both players waiting
for the other to make mistake, the rally saw 56 exchanges before Vora
finished the point with a stunning smash that dropped dead the moment it hit
the wall. Vora clinched the game 15-12.
After winning the first
game, Vora got a bit more ambitious and went for his shots too often. He
paid the price for it as Nandrajog won the second 15-4.
In the third game, both
players played quality squash giving nothing away. But it was again the
better finishing ability of Vora that saw him through. With score at 12-11,
Vora managed a string of winners to seal the game 15-11.
The battle continued in
the fourth but Nandrajog was gradually beginning to gain advantage. His
winners increased and Vora was beginning to show signs of fatigue. He won
the fourth game 15-12.
The deciding game saw the
best of Nandrajog. He played at will racing to a 13-1 lead and a tame finish
looked likely. But a tired Vora pulled out his reserves to stage a dramatic
come back winning nine consecutive points.
But Vora could not
maintain the consistency required and when he could not reach a drop, it
handed Nandrajog his first victory at the Otters Club and a purse of Rs.50,
000.
There were no surprises
in the other two finals of the day – women’s and men’s. Mekhala Subedar
prevailed Priyanka Yadav but Ritwik Bhattacharya finally dropped a game in
the tournament while beating Sourav Ghosal 15-6, 15-6, 14-15, 15-8.
Steady Nandrajog
wins the race (Article in Indian Express, Mumbai : 6/07/2003)
Pushed to the wall by
Mumbai’s Sahil Vora, Gaurav Nandrajog staged a stunning comeback to clinch
the U-19 title winning 12-15, 15-4, 11-15, 15-12, 15-12 in an exhilarating
final in the Herald Maritime Services Squash Open Championship at the Otters
Club on Saturday.
The marathon match lasted
a little more than two hours and saw some terrific rallies, but in the end
it was Gaurav’s consistency that finally prevailed over the flamboyant but
erratic style of the second seed Sahil.
For most of the match
Gaurav seemed content in just keeping the ball in play while Sahil would
every now and then burst into some extravagance.
Sahil looked in good
knick in the first game 15-12. Gaurav, who had admitted before the final
that he was particularly keen on keeping the prize money to fund his PSA
plans, showed his second game without much ado.
Vora settled into a more
sensible game in the third and produced some stunning winners when it
mattered most to sweep the game 15-11. Typical of a final, soon enough,
anguished cries followed referee’s decisions on let calls in the fourth game
that Gaurav clawed out 5-12.
Gaurav took his chance in
the decider, playing a more attacking game to race to a 12-1 lead. Much to
his credit, Sahil fought back valiantly but finally ran out of steam down
11-14.
There were no surprise in
the men’s and women’ section – national champion Mekhala Subedar outplaying
Priyanka Yadav 15-6, 15-6, 10-15, 15-8 while Ritwik Bhattacharya made short
work of Sourav Ghosal winning 15-6, 15-6, 14-15, 15-8.
No Sweat For Ritwik, Sourav (Article In The Hindu – Chennai, Mumbai : 03/07/2003)
Ritwik Bhattacharya and
Sourav Ghosal did not have to work up a sweat when winning their first round
matches in the men’s singles competition of the Rs.3.70 lakh Herald Maritime
Services all India squash open on Wednesday.
The Delhi based top seed
sent professional Rohit More scurrying to all corners of the Otters Club
glass-back court before winning 15-2, 15-6, 15-4…. back as the second seed
from Chennai strolled through a 15-8, 15-8, 15-11 victory against Deepak
Moolani.
The two seeded players
are expected to clash in the men’s final for high stakes, in this case a
staggering Rs.75, 000 prize money for an individual event.
The boys under-19 first
round game got underway on the second day of the tournament, conducted by
Indian sports professionals, with Rushabh Vora dropping just a game to Cyrus
Appoo before winning in four.
The latter struck a
purple patch to pocket the second 15-10 before his superior rival came
through in style, except a tough fourth game which ended 15-13 in formers
favour. Vora won 15-10, 10-15, 15-7, 15-13.
Other seeded players to
advance into the second round were top seed Gaurav Nandrajog and Sahil Vora.
The All-India event is being organised under the aegis of squash Racquets
Association of Maharashtra and squash Racquets Federation of India.
Biggest prize
money for squash tourney (Article in Times of India, Mumbai : 29/06/2003)
The biggest payout in the
history of Indian squash awaits the winners of the Herald Maritime Services
squash Open to be held at Otters Club from July 1-5.
Capt Jamshed Appoo, whose
firm is sponsoring this event designed by Indian squash professionals, their
47th event, said the men’s winner will take home Rs.70, 000. The
boys winner will get RS.50, 000 and the women’s winner Rs.30, 000. Barring
the Indian juniors who are in training at Chennai for the World Juniors in
Cairo next month, all the top players in the country will take part.
Capt. Appoo said he had
seen from his outings with son Cyrus, a local squash player, that the squash
players work very hard needed to be duly rewarded.
At Thursday’s media
conference, SRAM advisory board member Nana Chudasama paid tribute to the
efforts of President Khalid Ansari to spread the game. He said it would be
wonderful if squash courts could come up in the open spaces below the many
fly-overs in the city.” I will use my good offices with the civic body to
make this possible,” he said.
Jangra Stuns
Rahmanan to make Quarterfinal, (Article In Free Press Journal, Mumbai : 4/072003)
Fancied women and girls
alike went through to the quarter-finals without a hitch, while third seed
Vivian Rahmanan of Singapore was upset by Sandeep Jangra in the boys
under-19 pre-quarterfinals at the glassback courts of the Otters Club, in
the Rs.3.70 lakh prize money Herald Maritime Services All-India Squash Open
here on Thursday, reports UNI.
Rahmanan, who had fared
well in the boys under-19 category of the Otters Open recently, found a
canny opponent in young Jangra and went down 15-9, 10-15, 15-12, 15-14.
Among the women’s the
fixture between Shivangi Paranjpe and Chandrika Zaveri hogged attention,
with the former going through on a five-games victory. The 12-years-old
Shivangi outplayed Chandrika 15-6, 9-15, 7-15, 15-12, 15-10 to set up a
quarter-final clash with second seed Deepali Anvekar.
Deepali wasted no time
while brushing aside Delkush Bhatia 15-1, 15-1, 15-2. Also advancing with
ease were top seed and national champion Mekhala Subedar, third seed
Priyanka Yadav and fourth seed Rachita Vora.
Mekhala, who is the best
bet to lift the women’s singles title in the absence of Joshna Chinappa, had
an unlikely opponent in the nine-years-old Sachika Balwani and gave away a
few points before winning 15-3, 15-6, 15-6.
The men’s
pre-quarterfinals saw an interesting encounter between the unseeded Saket
Wali and Dhampur’s fourth seed Amjad Khan. Wali played his best in the
second game, where he ran Khan close before winning out of stream in the
third. Khan won 15-10, 17-15, 15-6.
While top seed Ritwik
Bhattacharya enjoyed an off day, second seed Daurav Ghoshal Chennai took
time to get into his groove as he gave off more points than necessary in his
15-4, 15-11, 15-7 victory over Vaibhav Gupta.
No sweat for Ritwik, Sourav (Article in The Hindu, Mumbai : 2/7/2003)
Ritwik Bhattacharya and
Sourav Ghoshal did not have to work up a sweat when winning their first
round matches in the men’s singles competition of the Rs.3.70 lakh Herald
Maritime Services All India Squash Open on Wednesday.
The Delhi based top seed
sent professional Rohit More scurrying to all corners of the Otters Club
glass-back court before winning 15-2, 15-6, 15-4, then sat back as a the
second seed from Chennai strolled through a 15-8, 15-8, 15-11 victory
against Deepak Moolani.
The two seeded players
are expected to clash in the men’s final for high stakes, in this case a
staggering Rs.75,000 prize money for an individual event.
The boys under-19 first
round games got underway on the second day of the tournament, conducted by
Indian Sports Professionals, with Rushabh Vora dropping just a game to Cyrus
Apoo before winning in four.
The latter struck a
purple patch to pocket the second 15-10 before his style, except a tough
fourth game which ended 15-13 in former’s favour. Vora won 15-10, 10-15,
15-7, 15-13.
Other seeded players to
advance into the second round were top seed Gaurav Nandrajog and Sahil Vora.
The all-India event is being organised under the aegis of Squash Racquets
Association of Maharashtra and Squash Racquets Federation of India.
47th
Tournament Organised by ISP
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Tel : 9122-28314425/26/27
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Email: squashindia@yahoo.com
