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A day after relinquishing her status as the country’s No. 1 squash player, Dipika Pallikal put up a power-packed performance to storm into the second round of the $150,000 Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open 2015 on Wednesday. The World No. 16 took just 19 minutes to beat the Junior World Championship runner-up Habiba Mohamed of Egypt, 11-9, 11-2, 11-2.
The 16-year-old Mohamed is one of the fastest-rising talents and she reached two finals this year on the PSA/WSA Tour. She was brilliant in the opening game and lost to Pallikal, only narrowly, 9-11. But after that first-game setback, the young Egyptian could not do any damage to Dipika’s game as the former World No. 10 simply raised her level and raced away to victory.
Pallikal next faces the third seed Camille Serme of France for a place in the quarter-finals.
In a late match on Wednesday, the new India No. 1 and World No. 13 Joshna Chinappa will take on qualifier Megan Craig of New Zealand in her opening round.
