The Hindu : Mekhala dethrones Joshna

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 23, 2002

Sport

Sport - Squash

Mekhala dethrones Joshna

By Nandakumar Marar

MUMBAI Dec. 22. Mekhala Subedar injected an element of competition in women's squash by dethroning National champion Joshna Chinappa at the ICICI Lombard-Otters Club 50th senior National squash championships on Sunday.

Manish Chotrani, 32, then contributed his mite, squashing men's National champion Ritwik Bhattacharya, 23, in five games to fashion a fitting finale to the prestigious event.

At the end of a day of shocks and surprises, Mekhala was richer by Rs. 20,000 and Manish by Rs. 50,000. The losing finalists went home with Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 10,000 respectively.

Chotrani's effort was praiseworthy, considering the age difference between the two finalists and the experience Ritwik has of 11 Professional Squash Association events all over the world coming into this Nationals.

The Mumbai-based second seed and an ex-National champion came back after losing the first two games to stun the top seed 6-9, 3-9, 9-5, 9-4, 9-6 in a thriller spanning two hours.

The four-game victory was the Deolali girl's second win over the power player from Chennai in two months. Mekhala won 9-5, 10-8, 6-9, 9-7 in 77 minutes against Joshna, who lapsed into errors.

If Joshna possessed a varied repertoire of stokes, she also had a `self-destruct' button, which kept going off time and again. On a roll, she would win four to five points in a row with a perfect blend of delectable skill and raw power, then throw it all away with a string of rash and casual strokes.

Mekhala, on the other hand, unable to contain the 16-year-old, would keep pegging away, waiting for that lapse in concentration.

The first game was a close affair, with both players keeping the ball tight and testing each other. Joshna was the first to lose patience at 5-5 and she kept hitting the tin in the forecourt to give Mekhala the game.

The second saw Joshna make a brilliant surge from 2-4 down to win five points in a row and race to 7-4 lead, making Mekhala look quite the ordinary player in the process, but once again, with victory in sight at 8-5, the self-destruct button came into play.

A return of service into the tin and an attempted drop shot that was low brought Mekhala back into the game and she went all the way, winning 10-8.

The third game saw Joshna in her element once again, racing to a 5-0 lead before Mekhala got her first point, thanks to Joshna's largesse. This time, however, Joshna managed to stay ahead, though not before Mekhala clawed back to 6-8 before losing.

It was a similar tale in the fourth, with Joshna once again taking a 5-0 lead, only to throw it all away with a rash of unforced errors. Time and again, she found the tin as she went for the drop shot instead of hitting the ball into the back court and Mekhala, sensing Joshna was running out of patience, just bided her time.

Levelling scores at 5-5, Mekhala, who scented victory upped the pace a bit, signalling the end for Joshna.

Balamurugan of Chennai lifted the professionals' title, defeating Kolkatta's Dilip Tripathi 9-3, 9-2, 9-1.

The men's over-35 crown went to Mumbai's Darius Surti, who defeated Pune's Rohit Thawani 3-9, 10-8, 9-3, 9-0, while the Vaman Apte triumphed in the over-45 final, defeating Chandrakant Pawar 9-4, 9-0, 9-1.

The results (all finals):

Men: 2-Manish Chotrani (Mumbai) bt 1-Ritwik Bhattacharya (Delhi) 6-9, 3-9, 9-5, 9-4, 9-6.

Women: 2-Mekhala Subedar (Deolali) bt 1-Joshna Chinappa (Chennai) 9-5, 10-8, 6-9, 9-7.

Professional: 1-Balamurgan (Chennai) bt 2-Dilip Tripathi (Kolkatta) 9-3, 9-2, 9-1.

Over 45: Vaman Apte (Mumbai) bt Chandrakant Pawar (Mumbai) 9-4, 9-0, 9-1.

Over-35: Darius Surti (Mumbai) bt Rohit Thawani (Pune) 3-9, 10-8, 9-3, 9-0.

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