Pallikal powers into Texas Open quarters

April 11, 2014 04:21 pm | Updated May 21, 2016 10:34 am IST

Dipika Pallikal, who has not had the best of starts to 2014, took 36 minutes to get past her 26th-ranked opponent 12—10, 11—8, 11—5. File Photo: V. Ganesan

Dipika Pallikal, who has not had the best of starts to 2014, took 36 minutes to get past her 26th-ranked opponent 12—10, 11—8, 11—5. File Photo: V. Ganesan

Indian squash star Dipika Pallikal survived some anxious moments before beating Australian qualifier Donna Urquhart in the opening round of the $50,000 Texas Open in Houston.

Pallikal, who has not had the best of starts to 2014, took 36 minutes to get past her 26th-ranked opponent 12—10, 11—8, 11—5 on Thursday. The Chennai girl saved five game balls in the first game.

The 22-year-old plays World No.19 Nicolette Fernandes in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Guyanese upset fifth seed Annie Au of Hong Kong 12—10, 10—12, 11—5, 8—11, 11—8.

“I think I played well today so would not like to change much for the quarterfinal. I played Nicolette about three years ago. She has improved a lot since then. I am expecting a tough match,” Pallikal told PTI , recollecting her 3—2 win over the Guyanese.

Joshna Chinappa, the other Indian in the main draw, however, lost her opener. The World No.21 went down to 16th-ranked Rachael Grinham of Australia 7—11, 5—11, 5—11.

First round results: [2] Madeline Perry (IRL) bt [Q] Joey Chan (HKG) 7—11, 11—4, 11—6, 12—10 (38m); [Q] Emma Beddoes (ENG) bt [6] Kasey Brown (AUS) 11—4, 11—5, 4—11, 11—8 (42m); [4] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt [Q] Donna Urquhart (AUS) 12—10, 11—8, 11—5 (36m); Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) bt [5] Annie Au (HKG) 12—10, 10—12, 11—5, 8—11, 11—8 (65m); [8] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Joshana Chinappa (IND) 11—7, 11—5, 11—5 (24m); [3] Camille Serme (FRA) bt Amanda Sobhy (USA) 10—12, 11—6, 11—4, 11—8 (40m); [Q] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [7] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) 11—4, 11—4, 12—10 (29m); [1] Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Sarah—Jane Perry (ENG) 11—9, 11—9, 9—11, 11—7 (64m).

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.