Joshna lone Indian challenger in Asian squash Championship

Joshna Chinappa advanced to the semifinals to keep the Indian hopes alive in the women's section but it was all over for the men as Saurav Ghosal and Siddharth Suchde crashed out in the quarterfinals of the Asian Squash Championships here.

Joshna, seeded in the 5/8 bracket, stunned 3/4 seed Sharon Wee of Malaysia 9-5 4-9 9-7 9-5 in a 55-minute battle to advance to the semis, where she takes on second seed Rebecca Chiu of Hong Kong.

Chiu dumped Malaysian Delia Arnold 9-7 9-4 9-1 in just 33 minutes in her quarterfinal match.

However, there was disappointment in the men's section as both Ghosal and Suchde were sent packing in the last-eight stage yesterday.

Ghosal, seeded 3/4, squandered a one-game lead to go down 10-8 4-9 1-9 3-9 to local favourite and 9/16 seed Abdullah Kh. Al Mezayen in a battle lasting 72 minutes.

Suchde, on the other hand, gave a tough fight to second seed Ong Beng Hee before losing 2-9 3-9 10-8 2-9 in an hour-long contest.