Date:08/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/08/stories/2008080861991800.htm

Sport - Squash

India finishes fourth

CHENNAI: India finished fourth in the World junior men’s squash championship which concluded in Zurich on Thursday. This is India’s best show in the World championship till date bettering the fifth position attained in 2002.

India lost to England 1-2 for the third place but it was a closely fought match where Vikram Malhotra got the lead and Ravi Dixit almost sustained the tempo. But the good phase ended there with Dixit’s fall and Aditya Jagtap’s inability to regain his touch.

Earlier second seed and title-favourite Pakistan expectedly downed India 3-0 late on Wednesday to reach the title round. Pakistan faces top seed Egypt which defeated England 2-1 in another semifinal.

Except for Aditya, who could grab a game against Waqar Mehboob, it was smooth sailing for the Pakistanis. Pakistan’s number one player Aamir Atlas finished off Vikram conceding just three points in three games. Mohd Shoaib then swept aside Dixit in the truncated third match.

The results: Pakistan bt India 3-0 (Waqar Mehboob bt Aditya Jagtap 9-0, 7-9, 10-8, 9-0; Aamir Atlas Khan bt Vikram Malhotra 9-0, 9-3, 9-0; Mohd Shoaib Hassan bt Ravi Dixit 9-1, 9-0); for third place: England bt India 2-1 (Joe Lee lost to Vikram Malhotra 6-9, 0-9, 9-0, 3-9; Alex Ingham bt Ravi Dixit 4-9, 9-3, 9-2, 9-6; Adrian Waller bt Aditya Jagtap 9-0, 9-4, 9-4).