Joshna Chinnappa, India’s top woman squash player, sailed into the final of the WISPA Challenger-4 tournament with an efficiently crafted 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 win against compatriot Dipika Pallikal, here Friday.
In Saturday’s final, second-seeded Joshna, the 23-year-old from Chennai and ranked No.33 in the World, will take on Oria Noom of the the Netherlands who upset top seed Sharan Wee of Malaysia, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 in just 28 minutes.
Joshna played at a level that the 18-year-old Dipika, ranked 54, could not match. In fact, the 25-minute contest was rather one-sided though the scores might indicate otherwise.
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From the start, Joshna was on the offensive and took no chances. Despite committing a few unforced errors, she stayed in front throughout even as Dipika grew increasingly despondent.
If Joshna, winner of three WISPA titles, sustains the form, she is expected to beat Noom in the final.
The 23-year old, 41-ranked Dutch player was at the top of her game against Wee who was a step slower and could hardly keep pace with her opponent.
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Eventually, the 32-year-old Wee, ranked 31, and who resides in Antwerp, Belgium, simply caved in after briefly putting up a fight in the third game.
The results (semi-finals):
WISPA Challenger-2: Joshna Chinnappa (IND) bt Dipika Pallikal (IND) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8; Oria Noom (NED) bt Sharon Wee (MAS) 11-6, 11-9, 11-7.
PSA Challenger-4: Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt Muhd Asraf Azan (MAS) 10-12, 11-5, 12-10, 11-8; Mark Krajcsak (HUN) bt Mathieu Castagnet (France) 12-10, 15-13, 10-12, 11-8.