Joshna Chinappa from
Chennai proved that she is ready to make a mark in the senior ranks of
Indian squash, when she defeated Priyanka Yadav in straight games in the
women’s semi-finals of the Switcher All-India Prize Money Invitation
Squash Tournament at the glass court of The Leela yesterday.
Yadav, who has been
improving by leaps and bounds in the short period that she has taken to
the game, put up a spirited show, but could not match the court-craft and
playing skills of Joshna. The Chennai lass prevailed 15-11, 15-11, 15-8.
Joshna will take on
Deepali Anvekar in the title round for the top prize of Rs.6,000. Deepali
had a relatively easy 15-8, 15-9, 15-5 victory over Anahita Dhalla.
In the boy’s under-19,
Junaid Nathani ended the run of Jindal Sports Club’s Deepak Yadav, Junaid
prevailed 15-8, 15-9, 15-5 and will take on Vishal Kapoor, who got the
better of Supreet Singh at 15-8, 15-9, 15-5.
The men’s semi-finals
will pit national champion Manish Chotrani against Santosh More and
collegiate champion Anshul Manchanda versus junior Asian Champion Bikram
Uberoi.
There is a famous
saying amongst those who have reached the pinnacle of squash- “When the
court door closes, the match begins.”
It is a line that young
Bikram Uberoi would do well to learn. He was in the men’s final of the
Switcher All-India invitational event, won the first game against national
champion Manish Chotrani and then it was tantrum time.
Uberoi suggested he had
a back problem. If this was the case, why play the final and risk
aggravating an injury? To make comments later that he had won the first
game and could have gone on to beat Chotrani is imaginative.
No match is over till
the last point is played. Uberoi wasn’t fit enough, wasn’t good enough to
last the distance.
The Uberoi tamasha
spiced up the evening at the air-conditioned Hotel Leela court. The boy’s
under-19 final was an Otters Club affair with Junaid Nathani beating
Vishal Kapoor in four games. The boys from Bandra continue to dominate the
scene. The seeds won by Meherwan Daruwala a decade ago have blossomed.
Chotrani, Anvekar triumph
(Article in Afternoon, Mumbai : 28/2/2000)
National Champion
Manish Chotrani was made to fight for every penny of the top prize of
Rs.6,000 by junior Asian champion Bikram Uberoi in the final of the
Switcher All-India prize money invitation squash tournament, at the glass
back court of the The Leela last week.
Chotrani, ten years
elder to the 19-years old Uberoi but still superbly fit had to draw on all
his reserves to quell the challenge of the talented teenager, winning
11-15, 15-11, 15-3, 17-15.
The title in the
women’s section went to Deepali Anvekar, who beat Chennai’s Joshna
Chinappa 15-13, 15-6, 15-6 to take home the top prize of Rs.4,000. In the
boy’s under-19 final, Junaid Nathani dropped a game to Vishal Kapoor
before winning 15-9, 15-13, 3-15, 15-8 for the top prize of Rs.4,000.
In fact, if Uberoi had
not aggravated an old hamstring injury in the first game, which he won, the
end may well have been different. He asked for a ten minute injury break
then, but was never the same. Chotrani won the next two relatively easily,
and was not prepared for the spirited fight Uberoi put up in the fourth.
Scores went neck to neck till 11-11, before Chotrani took a 13-11 lead.
Scored were level once again till 14-14, after which Chotrani, judging Uberoi’s weakening physical state opted for three points. He then own
17-15. Uberoi had to be content with the runners-up purse of Rs.4,000.
Anvekar
wins (Article in The Hindu, Mumbai :
26/2/2000)
The bludgeoning power
of National champion Deepali Anvekar saw her rally from 12-13 in the
opener and go on to a 15-13, 15-6, 15-6 score line against Chennai’s Joshna
Chinappa in the women’s final of the Rs.40,000 Switcher All-India squash
championship.
Chinappa, 14, had match
strides with her opponent in the early part of this 14 minute encounter.
Unfortunately, she slipped when leading 13-12 and Anvekar was left with
the court at her mercy. Having leveled the score, Anvekar went from
strength.
It was Anvekar’s
seventh title in the last six months, She had previously been successful
in the Western India, Maharashtra State, Little Masters, Otters Junior
Open, Air-India SRAM Championship and most important, the Nationals at
Chennai. But this is her last year in the under-19 ranks and with Chinappa
catching up, slowly but surely, the stage is set for the Chennai youngster
to take over the throne.
Former National
professionals champion Chandrakant Pawar refereed the women’s final.
Joshna was unlucky in the first game which is very important in any match.
She slipped, tried in vain to recover but it did not come off. I saw her
play Deepali at Otters Club last year. Both have improved. Deepali is
physically stronger and she uses her power effectively. But, I feel Joshna will be wiser for her effort today,” he said.
Anvekar took home the
winner’s cheque of Rs.6,000 whilst Chinappa had to settle for the
runners-up prize of Rs.4,000.
Chotrani tops Uberoi in final (Article in Free Press
Journal, Mumbai :
29/2/2000)
National champion
Manish Chotrani was made to fight for every penny of his top prize of
Rs.6,000 by junior Asian champion on Bikram Uberoi in the final of the
Switcher All-India prize money invitation squash tournament, at the glass
back court of The Leela, on Friday.
Chotrani, 10 years
elder to the 19-year old Uberoi, but still superbly fit had to draw on all
his reserves to quell, the challenge of the talented teenager winning, 11-15, 15-11, 15-3, 17-15.
The title in the
women’s section went to Deepali Anvekar, who beat Chennai’s Joshna
Chinappa 15-13, 15-6, 15-6 to take home the top prize of Rs.4,000.
In the boys under-19
final, Junaid Nathani dropped a game to Vishal Kapoor before winning 15-9,
15-13, 3-15, 15-8 for the top prize of Rs.4000.
In fact, if Uberoi had
not aggravated an old hamstring injury in the first game, which he won,
the end may well have been different. He asked for a ten minute injury
break then, but was never the same.
Chotrani won the next
two relatively easily, and was not prepared for the spirited fight Uberoi
put up in the fourth.
Scores went neck to
neck till 11-11, before Chotrani took a 13-11 lead. Scored were level once
again till 14-14, after which Chotrani, judging Uberoi’s weakening
physical state opted for three points. He then own 17-15.
Uberoi had to be
content with the runners-up purse of Rs.4,000.
Former Indian cricket
star Sanjay Manjrekar did the honours of giving away the prizes to the
winners and runners-up.
Yadav rallies, downs Gracious in 1st round (Article in Asian Age, Mumbai : 24/2/2000)
Deepak Yadav provided an explosive start to
the Switcher all-India prize money invitational squash tournament at the
glass courts of The Leela on Wednesday. Yadav of Jindal Sports Club,
Vashind won a thrilling five-setter against Willingdon Sports Club's Rohan
Gracious. Yadav recovered after dropping the first two games a
register a 11-15, 6-15, 17-15, 15-11, 17-16 win over Gracious and advance
into the second round of the boys under-19 competition.
Also advancing was Vishal Kapoor with a
straight games victory over Yogin Thakur at 15-6, 15-6, 15-9.
In the men's section, Anshul Manchanda also
dropped a game before beating Amit Pal Kohli 15-9, 13-15, 15-9, 15-12.
Chennai’s Joshna
Chinappa defeated local lass Priyanka Yadav 15-11, 15-13, 15-8 to enter
the final of the women’s event at Rs.40,000 Switcher All-India Invitation
Squash championship at the Hotel Leela air-conditioned court. Chinappa,
the number two seed, plays National Junior champion Deepali Anvekar of
Friday.
Chinappa’s win took 44
minutes and though the score line suggest it was a close affair in the
first and second games, she had enough up her sleeve at the finishing
post. Yadav has come up a lot and has beaten India international Supriya
Balsekar in the last two tournaments.
The second semi-finals
was an all Mumbai affair and saw Anvekar dispose off Anaita Dhalla 15-2,
15-5, 15-4. Anvekar defeated Chinappa in four games at the Otters Club
junior Open last year. Since then, the Chennai youngster has won the
Scottish Junior under-15 and has improved.
“Anvekar has been
unbeaten this season and is playing well. But, she cannot take things for
granted as Chinappa is a fighter.” Said Tournament Director Mahendra
Agarwal.
National champion
Manish Chotrani won the title and Rs.6000/- in the switcher All-India
prize money Invitation squash tournament at The Leela on Friday. Chotrani
quelled the challenge of Bikram Uberoi 11-15, 15-11, 15-3, 17-15 in the
men’s final. In the women’s final Deepali Anvekar beat Chennai’s Joshna
Chinappa 15-13, 15-6, 15-6 to take home Rs.4000/-.
The switcher All-India
Invitation prize money squash tournament gets underway on the glass –back
courts of The Leela on Wednesday and will conclude on Friday.
National champions
among the men and women, Manish Chotrani and Mekhala Subedar lead the
challenge among the top men and women players that will vie for the top
prize of Rs.6, 000/- respectively. A last minute dropout has been national
runner-up and professional Ritwik Bhattacharya, due to a back injury he
sustained during practice.
The
leela Squash (Article in Free Press Journal,
Mumbai : 15/2/2000)
National champion
Manish Chotrani and Mekhala Subedar will lead the galaxy of squash stars
that will feature in the Switcher-The Leela Squash Tournament.
India’s top eight
players from among the men, women and boys under-19 each will be in action
in the glass-back squash courts of The Leela in this prize money
invitational tournament that will be played from February 23 to 25.
From among the players
who have already confirmed their participation are former national
champion and current professional Ritwik Bhattacharya, Mumbai University
champion Anshul Manchanda, Niraj Shirgaokar, Saket Wali and Amitpal Kohli.
Among the women, Mekhala will once again face a tough challenge from the
fast-improving Deepali Anvekar.
Bikram Uberoi, recent
winner of the Asian Junior Circuit tournament at Chennai, leads the
challenge among the boys under-19 and will face competition from players
like Mihir Kapoor, Vishal Kapoor and Mihir Seth.
The top prize for the
men and women is Rs.6,000/- with the runners-up getting Rs.4,000/- each,
the winner in the boys under-19 will be richer of Rs.4,000 with the
runners-up getting Rs.2,000/-.
The last date for
confirming individual is February 16 for outstation players and February
19 for players from the state of Maharashtra.
