Date:11/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/11/stories/2008091156552000.htm

Sport - Squash

Iskandar for Maharashtra State Open

Mumbai: Mohd. Azlan Iskandar, Malaysia’s World No. 11, will bring foreign flavour to the Rs. 6 lakh prize money 33rd Bombay Gymkhana-HSBC Maharashtra State Open squash championship to be held at the Gymkhana courts from September 13 to 19.

Co-sponsored by Westside and SAPAT, the men’s Open winner will receive Rs. 1 lakh, while the women’s winner will receive Rs. 50,000.

Seeded No. 1, Iskandar trains and practises with England’s Peter Genever. Others in the men’s open are India’s Ritwik Bhattacharya who has agreed to take part in the event in spite of his commitment to play in the Forexx Open in Holland and the Ornano Open in Bordeaux, France.

The men’s field will have top class players like Malaysia’s Mohd. Asyraf Azan and former National champions Manish Chotrani and Akhil Behl, India’s No. 1 junior Vikram Malhotra and professional champion A. Parthiban from Chennai.

Joshna Chinappa, Dipika Pallikkal, Mandy Kennedy and Surbhi Mishra are the well-known names in the women’s section.

Four winners in the under-15 group will be sent for the Milo Open 2009 in Kuala Lumpur and the Hong Kong Open 2009. Their travel and other costs will be underwritten by SAPAT, co-sponsor of the State event. — Special Correspondent