Dipika wins Asian Junior title

MUMBAI: She says it is just another title but she is sure to relish it the most. Dipika Pallikal has surprised one and all at the inaugural Masonry Asian Junior Squash Championship in Singapore on Sunday by winning the title. Still to concede a game this year, the Chennai squash sensation beat top seed Rong Tsz Wing of Hong Kong in straight games 9-2 9-4 9-5 in the final.

“I’m on the track which Jyothsna Chinnappa had set in 2002 winning such a (Junior Asian champions) championship,” Dipika told DNA after her 40-minute duel against her Hong Kong opponent. “I have been in good nick this year. I won the German Open last month and now this. But this one is important as it is one of the major championships in Asia and it is a stepping stone for me to look forward for the positive results at the Pioneer Junior Open in Cologne in Germany and the Dutch Open in Amsterdam,” said Dipika.

“I like to play against the strategies of the opponent. Her speed was good compared to mine and I used the drop shots well to upset her rhythm.”

Coached by Maj Maniam and Cyrus Poncha, Dipika does not look at any thing beyond squash.

“They are the people behind my success,” says Dipika about the men behind her successful run in the squash court. “This is my chosen field. I have no plans to change it,” says Dipika when queried about the chances of entering the tinsel world.