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World No. 20 Joshna Chinappa brought forth her newfound confidence to stun the ninth seed and World No. 10 Annie Au of Hong Kong 11-6, 11-7, 12-10 in the first round of the prestigious $150,000 US Open held at the Drexel University in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Chinappa had a 4-8 head-to-head record v Au before this match
The Indian ace came to the US Open on the back of a semi-final appearance at the Carol Weymuller Open where she had toppled 13th-ranked Emma Beddoes. The four wins she earned at the New York event boosted the confidence of the 29-year-old, who has already captured two titles this year.
And the Commonwealth Games doubles gold medallist put up a masterclass display when she took the court against the 10th ranked Annie Au at the US Open. She was fast, fierce and attacked right from the word go.
The Hong Kong player had beaten Chinappa twice this year – the HKFC International semis in May and the Australian Open quarter-finals in August. Chinappa had managed to squeak out just one game from her over the two encounters. To make matters even tougher, Au held an overall 8-4 head-to-head record over the Indian.
But on Sunday, she had no answers as Chinappa stormed out to build a quick 11-6, 11-7 lead.
It was the third game where the 26-year-old Hong Kong player finally started showing the fight she is known for and surged to a slim 9-7 advantage. However, the Indian refused to back off.
Her relentlessness was rewarded as she managed to level the score at 9-9 and closed out the contest 11-6, 11-7, 12-10 on her second match point.
Joshna Chinappa quotes
“I’ve always had very hard games against Annie. I’ve been chopped pretty bad a couple of times. Going in today I obviously knew she had the upper hand, so I’m really glad I hung in there and didn’t make many errors, which helped me win this one,” said a relieved Chinappa following the match.
Next up: World No. 6
Chinappa’s opponent in the Round of 16 is World No. 6 Omneya Abdel Kawy of Egypt. The match will be played on Tuesday.
In a late match on Sunday, India No. 1 Dipika Pallikal will begin her US Open campaign against Joelle King of New Zealand.
