E-Paper
Pune open squash: Arnaav Sareen beats UP’s Gaurav Kumar to set up final clash against top-seed Mehta
It took the India number 2 only 18 points to register an 11-2 11-2 11-5 win over the 5/8th seed on Tuesday at the Chanchala Sandeep Kodre Sports Club squash courts, Mundhwa.
Still to drop a game at the Bakeway-Srujan Isquash Junior and Senior Open Squash Championship, local boy Arnaav Sareen heads into the final as the firm favourite.
Having beaten all his opponents under 20 minutes, Tuesday’s semi-final clash against Uttar Pradesh’s Gaurav Kumar followed suit. It took the India number 2 only 18 points to register an 11-2 11-2 11-5 win over the 5/8th seed on Tuesday at the Chanchala Sandeep Kodre Sports Club squash courts, Mundhwa.
As he has for the course of the competition, Sareen took very little time to get into the match. He quickly adapted to Kumar’s playing style and matched his level of endurance. This saw the duo play out a number of long rallies, particularly in the first two games which the second seed won 11-2 each.
The third was a different kettle of fish as Sareen appeared to slow down slightly, making a few more errors than he had during the tournament.
However, his quality saw him through the few minor scares to win the final game 11-5 to seal a berth for Wednesday’s final.
All that stands in his way and the title is the top-seeded Shreyas Mehta, a familiar foe who has failed to get the better of Sareen in their recent meetings.
Mehta who took four games and 40 minutes to beat Navaneeth Prabhu has spent a lot more time on court than Sareen and it could be a decisive factor when they meet on Wednesday afternoon.
Arnaav Sareen: “It was tougher than the previous two games but I still think it was a comfortable one. I had worked on my drop shots before today’s game and I am glad to see it working. It makes me confident going into Wednesday’s semi-final.”
Gaurav Kumar: “It was an extremely tough encounter. His serve at times was unplayable. It was my first match against him and my run to the semis was impressive. So I am happy with that. This game especially taught me that I need to improve my fitness, drop shots and volleys.”
Results: Semi-final
Girls
Under 11
Akanksha Gupta [1] (MH) bt Vyomika Khandelwal [5/8](MH) 11-6,11-9,11-3
Chhavi Saran [2] (RJ) bt Aelina Shah [3/4] (MH) 11-9,13-11,11-8
Under 13
Khushboo [1](UP) bt Tisha Jasani [3/4](MH) 12-10, 11-7, 11-6
Anahat Singh (DL) bt Nandini Jain [2] (DL) 11-4, 9-11, 11-4, 13-11
Under 17
Anannya Morey [1] (MH) bt Mithali Surana [5/8] (TN) 11-3, 11-4, 11-7
Avani Nagar [2] (MH) bt Aryaa Ogale [3/4](MH) 11-7,11-2,11-9
Under 11
Rahul Balakrishnan [3/4](KR) bt Rachit Shah [1] (MH)11-6,8-11,11-7,11-7
Agastya Bansal [2] (MH) bt Varun Shah [3/4] (MH) 11-8,11-6,11-9
Under 13
Avalokit Singh [1] (RJ) bt Adhish Kancharla [5/8] (MH) 11-8, 3-11, 14-12, 11-8
Tavneet Singh Mundra [2](MP) bt Uday Bharti [3/4] (UP) 11-7, 11-5, 11-6
Under 17
Shreyas Mehta [1] (MH) bt Navaneeth Prabhu S [5/8] (TN) 4-11,11-6,11-9,11-8
Arnaav Sareen [2] (MH) bt Gaurav Kumar [5/8] (UP) 11-2, 11-2, 11-5
Under 19
Rahul Baitha [1] (MH) bt Deepak Mandal [3/4] (MH) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7
Saksham Choudhary [5/8] (DL) bt Suraj Chand [2] (MH) 11-6, 11-6, 11-8
PRO
Sanjay Pawar [1] (MH) bt Dipesh Jadhav (MH) 11-3, 11-7, 11-6
Suraj Bhatt [3/4] (MH) bt Shakir Husain [2] (DL) 11-8, 11-0, 11-6
Women
Urwashi Joshi [1] (MH) bt Sanika Choudhari [3/4] (MH) 11-1, 11-2, 11-8
Tanvi Khanna [3/4] (DL) bt Sachika Balvani [2] (MH) 11-3, 11-6, 11-6
Men
Abhishek Pradhan(MH)(1) bt Abhinav Sinha(MH)(9/16)11-4, 11-8, 11-7
Abhishek Agarwal(MH)(5/8) bt Vaibhav Chauhan(SER)(17/32) 11-0, 11-7, 11-6
