The Hindu : Sport : No stopping Joshna Chinappa

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 22, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport

No stopping Joshna Chinappa

S.R. Suryanarayan

Saurav Ghosal wins his third National title

— Photo: R. Ragu

QUEEN OF THE GLASS COURT: Joshna Chinappa (foreground) beat Dipika Pallikal for her seventh National title.

CHENNAI: Joshna Chinappa bagged her seventh title, while Saurav Ghosal helped himself to his third, beating Siddharth Suchde 9-2, 9-3, 9-0, as the final moments of the singles events produced little surprise but enjoyable competition on Saturday in the ICL-National squash championship here.

At 14 years she had won her first National title and seven years hence Joshna continues to be at the top in the women’s section. Not since her loss to Mekhala Subedar in the 2002 final has Joshna been beaten by an Indian, a clear indication of this Chennai player’s supremacy at the National level.

“A national title is a national title”, that was the motivation for Joshna as she went about her task of fashioning another triumph, a 9-2, 4-9, 9-5, 9-1 win over the yet-to-turn 16 Dipika Pallikal.

Improved Dipika

That Dipika has improved in her stroke selection and execution after coming under the tutelage of Egyptian Mohamed Essam Hafiz is clear.

Joshna herself acknowledged this after Dipika grabbed a game. It is a different matter that Joshna changed gears to quickly turn the tables on her rival.

The 34-minute contest had its good phases, particularly the down-the-line drives and the drops that both players employed. Where Joshna had the edge was in the way she masked her returns. Twice in the process she had Dipika, trying in vain to get to the ball, sprawled on the wooden floor like a gymnast during a floor exercise routine.

Barring the second game loss, at no point did Joshna feel threatened and sure enough emerged victor in style.

Tame end

The men’s contest started off at fast pace but ended on a tame note.

Siddharth Suchde, after his fine exhibition in the semifinals was expected to stretch, if not totally surprise, Saurav. The lanky player began well, matching Saurav stroke for stroke. The forehand down-the-line and cross-court shots checked the defending champion and prolonged the rallies.

But Saurav’s ability is not just consistency and swift court movement but also the quick, angular returns that he employs as a surprise weapon. The well-directed forehands to the corner and the soft spun shots to catch the nick proved productive even as it triggered cheers from the gathering.

If steadiness marked Suchde’s display then variations were Saurav’s strategy. As the contest wore on, Saurav began to find the area above the tin unfailingly for winners, while Suchde’s slide was apparent.

“I was confident because I have been playing well in the championship and all I had to do was check Suchde’s strong drives, both straight and cross-court,” Saurav said of his win. But Maj. S. Maniam, consultant coach of the SRFI and Saurav’s guru put it most aptly: “He was awesome in his finishes. That made the difference.”

Yet another moment of glory came in the professional category where 30-year-old Bala Murugan, a coach attached to the ICL academy, won his 10th National title in a row.

The inter-State phase and the National doubles championships begin on Sunday. The prizes were given away by M. Raman, Secretary, Sports, and Atulya Misra, Member-Secretary, SDAT, in the presence of N. Ramachandran, Secretary-General, SRFI, among others.

The results: Men (final): Saurav Ghosal (TN) bt Siddharath Suchde (Mah) 9-2, 9-3, 9-0. Third place: Gaurav Nandrajog (del) bt Harinder Pal Singh (TN) 8-10, 9-1, 9-7, 5-9, 9-4.

Women (final): Joshna Chinappa (TN) bt Dipika Pallikal (TN) 9-2, 4-9, 9-5, 9-1. Third place: Anwesha Reddy (TN) bt Surbhi Mishra (Raj) 7-9, 9-4, 9-1, 9-0.

Professional (final): Balamurugan (TN) bt Dalip Tripathi (WB) 9-0, 9-2, 9-5. Over 40 years (final): Rohit Thawani (Mah) bt Deepak Moolani (Mah) 6-9, 10-8, 10-9, 9-3.

Over 35 years (final): Niraj Shirgaonkar (Mah) bt Raja Parthasarathy (Mah) 9-5, 7-9, 7-9, 9-7, 9-2.

Over 50 years (final): B.I. Singh (Del) bt Vaman Apte (Mah) 9-3, 9-7, 10-9.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport
News: ePaper | Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Jobs | Updates: Breaking News |