E-Paper
76th Senior National Squash Championship to begin in Pune from June 10
The competition will be organised by the Maharashtra Squash Racket Association under the aegis of the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI).
The city is all set to host the 76th Senior National Squash Championship at four different venues — for both men’s and women’s events— till June 16.
The competition will be organised by the Maharashtra Squash Racket Association under the aegis of the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI). It has also been granted the ‘SRFI 7 Star’ championship status, and will be governed and played under the Squash Rackets Federation of India national circuit and ranking guidelines.
The event will carry valuable ranking points and a total prize money purse of ₹12 lakh.
ISquash Academy, Chanchala Sandeep Kodre Sports Club, Mundhwa, RSI Club and the Glass Court at Amanora mall will be the tournament venues this week. The facility at Amanora mall will also be only the second glass court of its kind in the country and the first to be inside a mall.
Expressing his delight at Pune hosting the senior nationals, Girish Bapat, the newly elected Member of Parliament (MP) from the city and chairman of the organising committee, said, “It is a privilege for Pune to host a squash event of this magnitude. Pune has always been a formidable city in the sport of squash and hosting the nationals this year will bring back the city on the national stage and will also provide encouragement to squash players from the city and the state.”
At least 474 players from 25 states spread across age groups have registered for the tournament and the country’s top women’s player Joshna Chinappa will also be in action. Chinappa will be the favourite to win the gold in the women’s open category while Mahesh Mangaonkar is the front runner for gold in the men’s draw.
Other ranked players, Amitpal Kohli (over 35); Saurabh Nayar (over 40); Dilip Tripathi (over 45); Aashish Kamat (over 50); Ashun Bahl (over 55); Lalit Kumar Agnihotri (over 60) and Rajiv Reddy (over 65) will be seen in action at the event, making for some great squash clashes in all age groups. Anika Dubey, Raunak Singh and Teertha Jilka and other junior players from Pune have shown courage and decided to register for the senior event.
Explaining the classification of the different categories and the bifurcation of the venues, Pradeep Khandre, president, Maharashtra Squash Racket Association, stated, “A total of nine events will be conducted in the men’s, women’s, men’s over 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 and pro coach categories, and a PSA satellite event. The men’s and women’s events will take place on the glass courts in Amanora mall and other categories will be on glass backed courts at the ISquash Court, Mundhwa. The qualifying round will be played on RSI and Isquash Courts from June 10 to June 12.”
