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Top seeds reign supreme at squash nationals in Pune
Mahesh Mangaonkar clinches men’s title and India number 1 Joshna Chinappa beat first-time finalist in women’s summit clash.
It was a memorable final for both the men’s and women’s top seeds as they found a way to win their respective finals of the 76th Senior Squash Nationals on Sunday evening at Amanora Mall. In the mens’ event, Mahesh Mangaonkar outplayed the second seeded Abhishek Pradhan 12-10, 11-7, 11-9 in an all-Maharashtra battle while the India number 1 Joshna Chinappa beat first-time finalist Sunayna Kuruvilla 11-5, 11-4, 7-11, 11-5.
Mangaonkar started the game on shaky ground and looked nervous at times during the first game. He managed to get a lucky break midway through it which helped him win it 12-10.
Carrying the momentum into the second, Mangaonkar managed to win another close fought game and continued the same trend in the third to win the match. Pradhan showed sparks in bits throughout the contest, but never failed to maintain it for an entire game, which is what cost him the victory.
Meanwhile, in the girls’ final, Kuruvilla was absolutely delighted with her performance even though she ended up on the losing side. The 20-year-old managed to win the third game and almost pushed the top seed to her limits.
Towards the end, Chinappa’s experience and quality showed as she curbed her opponent’s momentum and comfortably saw off the fourth game to win it 11-5. Joshna, who is also a two-time Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medallist, was in control of her match from the beginning.
This was Chinappa’s record 17th national squash title and broke a 27-year-old record set by Bhuvneshwari Kumari, who had won 16 titles (between 1977 and 1992).
Three players Chinappa tips to do well in future: Tanvi Khanna, Sunayna Kuruvilla and Sanya Vats.
On Khanna: “I think she’s the second best player in the country at the moment. Every time we play, it’s a close match. She’s strong and has a very good idea of the sport.
On Kuruvilla: “I played her final and I think she played some really good winners and managed to win the third game. She also trains really hard and is on the pro tour. So, I think this a step she’s taking in the right direction.”
On Vats: “She’s still a junior, but has a lot of potential and she’s displayed it throughout this tournament.”
