THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Saurav Ghosal laid hands on his 10th national squash title on Sunday as he fended off the spirited challenge of defending champion Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu in a dramatic men’s final at Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium.
Saurav, toppled by the Mohali-born player in last year’s championship, seemingly headed for a similar outcome going two games down before mounting a dramatic comeback to win 8-11, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-6.
After winning the first two games, World No 58 Hairnder was fighting neck and neck with the World No 21 in the third game with scores tied at 6-6 before Saurav brought all his experience into play and pulled away from his challenger.
“It’s a little unfair to Harinder,” said Saurav after reclaiming the national title. “It was Harinder who was better and deserved to get something out of the game. Last year when I lost the final, I felt I was better,” the 28-year-old said.
“Midway through the match, I was able to gain my composure back and exert more pressure. It must have been hard for him to retain the level he was at during the first two games as the match progressed,” Saurav said.
Harinder found the setback hard to digest. “It must not have happened. After going 2-0 up, I relaxed a little and let the concentration slip,” he said.
However, he said he will be better prepared next year. “I will go home and take a couple of weeks’ rest. I’ve been playing non-stop since the start of the season and need rest,” Harinder said.
Joshna’s 14th
In the women’s final, top seed Joshna Chinappa tamed junior national champion Harshit Kaur of Delhi 11-6, 12-10, 11-5 to claim her 14th national title and close the gap on the record of 16 held by Bhuvneshwari Kumari.
“It’s great to win another national title playing against Harshit who is an up and coming player. We’ve been together during the national camp and she is someone who holds a lot of promise,” said Joshna.