Abhay picks up his maiden crown.

Joshna Chinappa kept her date with destiny by bagging a record 19th women’s title while Abhay Singh won his maiden crown in the HCL-78th senior National squash championships here on Saturday.

Joshna, seeded No. 1, overcame a strong challenge from Anahat Singh, the second seed, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9 in the final, with assured court-coverage and precise shot execution. Abhay, the men’s top seed, powered past S. Velavan (5/8) 11-13, 11-7, 11-6,11-4 in the summit clash.

A composed Joshna attacked with power and used her vast experience to deceive the 14-year-old. In all three games, the 36-year-old took a sizeable lead only to find Anahat come back strongly.

Anahat fought for every point, showing her skills on the forecourt and backcourt with delicate drops, forehand and backhand winners. But Joshna was too good on the day.

“She played a fearless game and handled the pressure well. I remembered my first finals against Vaidehi Reddy, in the 2000 Nationals here, as a 14-year-old. It feels great,” said Joshna, who was resting for four months after suffering a knee injury and took the decision to play only days prior to the Nationals.

Velavan, playing in his first final, did well to save four game points to win the first game against Abhay. But the 24-year-old, who had won three PSA titles this year, came back strongly, pushing his State-mate to both sides of court and finishing the points with backhand crosscourt placements and forehand flourishes.

“Winning the Nationals was a dream for me and winning it in my first final is great. It is certainly my biggest win and very special,” said Abhay.

K. P. Karthikeyan, Member Secretary, SDAT, gave away the prizes.

The results (finals): Men: Abhay Singh (TN) bt S. Velavan (TN) 11-13, 11-7, 11-6, 11-4.

Women: Joshna Chinappa (TN) bt Anahat Singh (Del) 11-8, 11-9, 11-9.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports> Other Sports / by K Keethivasan / December 10th, 2022