Joshna in quarters, Ghosal loses

Cairo, October 14

India’s leading squash player Joshna Chinappa, playing her first tournament in six months, reached the quarterfinals of the Egyptian Open here. The world No. 11 was pushed to the limit

by 38th-ranked Farida Mohamed who staged a valiant comeback after losing the first two games to level the match.

In the decider, Joshna managed to see off the Egyptian for a 11-7, 11-6, 7-11, 10-12, 11-9 win in the third round. Joshna meets world No. 2 Nour El Sherbini next.

“She takes a little time to warm up, but once she gets going, it’s hard to stop and contain her,” Joshna said.

“She played some great winners,” she added. “I’m relieved to be through, it could have been either of us. But in the fifth, I tried to keep it simple. She was in full confidence having come back from 0-2 down. I didn’t want to open it too much for her, and I think that I was just a bit more consistent at the end of that game,” she added.

India’s highest-ranked male player, Saurav Ghosal, lost his third-round match 8-11, 9-11, 8-11 against Egypt’s Mezan Hashem . — PTI