The Hindu : Sport / Squash : Dipika gets top billing

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Dipika gets top billing

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: India’s Dipika Pallikal and Egyptian Mohamed El Shorbagy have been given the top billing in the girls’ and boys’ sections respectively for the World junior squash championships, a World Squash Federation event, to be held at the ICL Academy here from July 29 to August 2.

The event has attracted players from 28 nations.

Ranked inside the women’s world’s top 50 as per the WISPA list, the 17-year-old Dipika has had a significant junior career, winning the British junior under-17 Open title in 2008 and reaching the final in both the British junior under-19 Open and Asian Junior Championship earlier this year.

If all goes well for her, Dipika is expected to meet Egypt’s Heba El Torky, the No. 2 seed, in the final.

The winner of the British junior Open U-13, U-15 and U-17 titles, the 18-year-old from Alexandria has also notched up two WISPA World Tour titles (China Open and Pakistan Open).

Egyptians galore

Her younger sister Nouran El Torky is one of the six Egyptians named in the top 16 seeds, including the youngest, 13-year-old Nour El Sherbini (also from Alexandria).

Whilst the girls’ individual event will precede the team championships — the biennial event which is held in alternate years to the men’s junior team championships — this year the first annual men’s individual World championship will also be held concurrently.

Title-holder Mohamed El Shorbagy has the chance to become only the second player in history to win the crown twice.

The 18-year-old favourite from Alexandria has had a meteoric run in the sport and boasts of a top 20 in the senior world rankings.

Malaysian Ivan Yuen, winner at the recent Asian junior championship, is the second seed.

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