Can Joshna Chinappa Avenge Her Loss Against Anahat Singh in the HCL Squash Indian Tour 4 Final?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Joshna Chinappa aims for revenge against Anahat Singh.
- Velavan Senthilkumar competes for the men's title.
- Indian players showcase remarkable talent at the tournament.
- Recent wins highlight Joshna's competitive edge.
- Exciting matches anticipated in the finals.
Chennai, Dec 4 (NationPress) Former world No. 10 in women's squash, Joshna Chinappa, is set to face off against teenage sensation Anahat Singh, the top seed, in the decisive match of the HCL Squash Indian Tour 4. Meanwhile, Velavan Senthilkumar aims for the men's title.
Joshna, who previously lost to Anahat in the last PSA Tour event held in Indore, managed to overcome sixth seed Tanvi Khanna in a gripping match with scores of 6-11, 12-10, 11-1, 5-11, 11-5. Anahat, on the other hand, triumphed over South Africa's third seed Hayley Ward with a decisive 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 victory.
In the men's category, top seed Velavan Senthilkumar narrowly defeated French seventh seed Maceo Levy with scores of 13-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-7, and will compete against unseeded Egyptian Adam Hawal for the championship.
The 39-year-old Joshna Chinappa, who recently clinched the Japan Open title in October and was the runner-up at the Daly College Indian Open last month, fought hard to defeat Egyptian second seed Nardine Garas in a thrilling five-game match on Wednesday. Notably, four Indian players advanced to the semifinals in Chennai.
Senthilkumar and Anahat, who are the reigning national champions in their respective categories and top seeds, achieved straight-game victories at the Indian Squash Academy. However, men's second seed Veer Chotrani was eliminated.
World No. 46 Senthilkumar convincingly defeated Sri Lanka’s Ravindu Laksiri with scores of 11-7, 11-8, 11-7, while the 29th ranked teenager Anahat smoothly progressed past Tamara Holzbauerova from the Czech Republic with a scoreline of 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 in the pre-quarterfinals, after the Indian top seeds received first-round byes.
The results of the quarterfinals were as follows (Indians unless specified):
Men: 1-Velavan Senthilkumar defeated 6-Joseph White (Aus) 11-9, 11-3, 11-5; 5-Diego Gobbi (Bra) overcame 3-Daniel Poleshchuk (Isr) 11-5, 11-4, 11-3; 7-Maceo Levy (Fra) won against 4-Ibrahim Elkabbani (Egy) 5-11, 11-5, 3-11, 14-12, 11-6; Adam Hawal (Egy) defeated 2-Veer Chotrani 11-9, 11-7, 11-8.
Women: 3-Hayley Ward (RSA) overcame 5-Ching Hei Fung (HK) 11-9, 11-8, -11, 7-11, 11-7; 1-Anahat Singh defeated 8-Akari Midorikawa (Jpn) 11-2, 11-2, 11-8; 6-Tanvi Khanna won against 4-Nga Ching Cheng (HK) 7-11, 12-10, 14-12, 7-11, 11-4; Joshna Chinappa triumphed over 2-Nardine Garas (Egy) 6-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 11-7.