Joshna Chinappa continued her winning streak to seal the $8,000 NSC Satellite No.4 championship in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.
MUMBAI: Joshna Chinappa continued her winning streak to seal the $8,000 NSC Satellite No.4 championship in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, on Friday.
It took her exactly a week to claim the second WISPA title of her career, after she clinched her maiden crown at the NSC Satellite No. 3 event in Kuala Lumpur on November 15.
Joshna beat world No. 46 Low Wee Wern 11-8 11-7 11-6 on her way to the title. Joshna made a good comeback in the first game after trailing 2-7 ensuring a good start. In the second game, the two remained at loggerheads till score was tied at 6-6, after which Joshna took the lead to close the game 11-7.
The third game also remained tight, and Joshna rose from being tied at 7-7 to end the match in three games.
The match probably brought along a sense of déjà vu for Joshna as she had defeated Low Wee Wern 11-8 11-5 11-3 at the final of the NSC Satellite No. 3 event at the same venue last Friday. “I think she played better this time. She gave me a tougher fight,” Joshna told DNA from Kuala Lumpur.
Joshna being the top-seed at the tournament rated this victory less significant in comparison to last week’s win, as she had defeated Sharon Wee, world No. 23 in the semifinals of the NSC Satellite No. 3 event.
The Chennai girl will now return home to play the World Doubles Squash Championship that begins mid-December, where she is likely to pair up with India No. 2 Ritwik Bhattacharya.
What’s next after Kuala Lumpur?The first thing I want to do is get back home and spend some time with friends. It has been a hectic schedule for the past two weeks out here.
You became a national champion at the age of 14, followed by the British Open title and now WISPA. Which is closer to your heart?It’s the British Open. Next, of course, is playing the senior nationals at 14.
Your journey in squash has seen many ups and downs. What do you think about those phases?There have been many bad and good phases, but I have taken all the hurdles as challenges. I don’t want to mention any one specifically, as there have been many. I thank God and my parents have helped in taking those obstacles with a positive frame of mind. I would say all these made me tougher. And today I am proud to be an Indian.
How do you react when people call you the Sania Mirza of squash?
That used to happen some years ago, but now I have my own identity, so it’s Joshana Chinappa of squash and not Sania Mirza of squash.
You had once said that dream date would be Cristiano Ronaldo…(laughs) No more dream dates but real ones. At the moment it would be to win the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games back home.
There are comments about your dress code. People say you dress for the occasion.On court I have no option other than wear an outfit as per the WISPA’s rules and off court, I wear whatever I feel I would be comfortable with. I don’t know what people mean when they say that I dress for the occasion. I wear what I am comfortable with.
Your mother has been with you for most of the tournaments, is she your inspiration?She is my mother, and her presence does boost my morale, but my inspiration is PT Usha. The way she went about her career as an athlete is inspirational. Most importantly, she began from the scratch to become a champion.
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