Vedant Patel of India played with solid grit and determination to prevail over compatriot Vedansh Kushwaha, winning in three hard-fought games at 11-8, 11-8, and 11-9 in an absorbing men’s open match of the JSW-Willingdon Little Masters and Senior Squash Open, at the prestigious Willingdon Sports Club, Worli, here on Saturday. This 4-star tournament is being conducted in association with the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI).
Kunal Singh (left) makes a backhand return during his first round match against Vaibhav Chavan in the JSW-Willingdon Little Masters and Senior Squash Open, at the Willingdon Sports Club, Worli, on Saturday.
In another match, between Indian players Vaibhav Chavan and Kunal Singh were locked in a grim tussle for supremacy and the scores ran close. But, Chavan who was a bit more disciplined managed to carve out a well-deserved 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, and 11-8 success.
India’s Shaan Dalal scored a convincing straight win against Kuwait’s Saleh Alasker racing to an 11-1, 11-3, and 11-2 win with a degree of comfort.
In an interesting and closely fought men’s over 35 encounter, Rahul Arora staved off a spirited challenge from Amit Chopra snatching victory in three tense games at 11-8, 12-10, and 14-12.
Ravindra Navle also faced quite a stiff challenge from Sandesh Mohite but managed to pull through winning in three games at 12-10, 11-8, and 11-2 to join Arora in the second round.
Results – Men Open (round 1): Guhan Senthilkumar (IND) bt Naresh Shingva (IND) 11-8, 11-3, 11-6; Vedant Patel (IND) bt Vedansh Kushwaha (IND) 11-8, 11-8, 11-9; Vaibhav Chavan (IND) bt Kunal Singh (IND) 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8; Rounak Yadav (IND) bt Divit Poojary (IND) 11-2, 11-2, 11-6; Shaan Dalal (IND) bt Saleh Alasker (KUW) 11-1, 11-3, 11-2.
Men Over 35 (round 1): Amitpal Kohli bt Sunil Rao 11-6, 11-8, 11-6; Ravindra Navle bt Sandesh Mohite 12-10, 11-8, 11-2; Mahesh Kadam bt Vinay Kumar 11-3, 11-2, 11-3; Saurabh Sinha bt Saurabh Tilloo 11-4, 11-3, 11-6; Rahul Arora bt Amit Chopra 11-8, 12-10, 14-12.