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Top-class squash returned to the City of Joy as the third leg of the JSW Indian Squash Circuit began on Tuesday. The 222-year-old Calcutta Racket Club was thrown open to world renowned players and squash enthusiasts who thronged to see the first round of qualifying action at the $35k Kolkata International.
2014 Junior World Championships bronze medallist Kush Kumar and former Asian Junior champion Ravi Dixit brought delight to the local fans by booking their places in the final round of qualifying.
Kush Kumar
Kush Kumar, who had captured the Tasmanian Open a few weeks back, once again proved that he is one of the best Indian talents right now. He was pitted against Bengal’s rising junior Krish Kapur who practises at this very club. The 115th ranked Kumar brought his tactical prowess to the forefront and played a brilliant match.
Mixing it up with deft touches and smart variation of height and speed, Kumar outshone Kapur 11-6, 11-5, 11-7. It was definitely a great learning experience for the 16-year-old Krish, who stayed back to watch and learn from the other matches as well.
Ravi Dixit
The other victorious Indian on Tuesday was the 23-year-old Ravi Dixit. He put in a determined effort to thwart South Africa’s Jean-Pierre Brits, ranked 27 places higher than him in the PSA rankings. With a superb forecourt play, Dixit kept Brits’ attack at bay in the first two games. The South African, however, came roaring back in the third game due to a little dip in Dixit’s level. In the fourth game, the Indian pulled away from 6-6 to take the last five points on the trot and closed out the match 11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6.
Velavan Senthilkumar, Vijay Kumar, Ranvijay Singh, Abhinav Sinha and Vikram Malhotra go down:
However, five Indians went down in the first round of qualifying at the Kolkata International. Abhinav Sinha and Vijay Kumar grabbed a hard-fought game each in their respective matches before succumbing to defeat.
24-year-old Abhinav Sinha stayed close with the 144th ranked Ahmad Al-Saraj of Jordan in the first three games. After losing the first two games, he even managed to squeeze out a marathon third game from the 20-year-old. However, the fourth seed was sharper and wrapped up the contest 11-8, 11-7, 12-14, 11-6.
It was a dramatic and bruising contest between two 19-year-olds – Vijay Kumar and Edmon Lopez Moller. The two were dead even in the first game until the Spaniard broke away with some exquisite drops. In a topsy-turvy second game, it was first the Jaipur lad who took control before his Spanish rival came charging back.
But, just when it looked to be going the Spaniard’s way, Kumar again steered the game his way by winning it 11-9. Kumar displayed his abundant talent by jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the third game. However, he was soon pegged back by Moller who smartly prolonged the rallies and gave an exhibition of his superior match fitness. He won the third game and then quickly grabbed the fourth as well to win the match 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3.
25-year-old Vikram Malhotra who is now based at the Trinity University in the USA, played a solid first game against the top seed Ammar Altamimi but was edged by the Kuwaiti 10-12. Vikarm continued to attack but his errors aided the top seed to finish the match in straight games – 12-10, 11-6, 11-7.
110-ranked Sanjay Singh Chal was too strong for the 17-year-old Velavan Senthilkumar who recently won the bronze at the Commonwealth Youth Games. Chal dictated the match throughout to beat the southpaw 11-6, 11-5, 11-3.
19-year-old Ranvijay Singh who is recovering from dengue, could not provide any resistance to Englishman Nathan Lake who raced away to victory in 19 minutes with a 11-7, 11-2, 11-0 scoreline.
Downer downs Potgieter in a thriller
The only match featuring no Indians turned out to be a thrilling encounter between 132nd Robert Downer of England and 167th ranked Christo Potgieter of South Africa. It was a fiery and fast-paced contest that had the rapt attention of the spectators. It was the lower-ranked South African who started well and won the first game 11-5. However, the fifth-seeded Englishman staged a comeback in the second game to take it 11-4.
In the third game, it was once again Potgieter who had a sizeable advantage at 6-1 but the Englishman made a stunning recovery to grab the third game 11-8. The fourth game also saw some drama as the fifth seed found it difficult to close out the match after having four match balls when the South African levelled scores at 10-10.
Finally on his fifth match ball, Robert Downer emerged victorious 5-11, 11-4, 11-8, 12-10.
Full results:
Ravi Dixit (IND) beat Jean-Pierre Brits (RSA) 11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6 in 49 minSanjay Singh Chal (MAS) beat Velavan Senthilkumar (IND) 11-6, 11-5, 11-3 in 20 minEdmon Lopez Moller (ESP) beat Vijay Kumar (IND) 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3 in 46 minNathan Lake (ENG) beat Ranvijay Singh (IND) 11-7, 11-2, 11-0 in 19 minAhmad Al-Saraj (JOR) beat Abhinav Sinha (IND) 11-8, 11-7, 12-14, 11-6 in 37 minKush Kumar (IND) beat Krish Kapur (IND) 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 in 23 minAmmar Altamimi (KUW) beat Vikram Malhotra (IND) 12-10, 11-6, 11-7 in 26 minRobert Downer (ENG) beat Christo Potgieter (RSA) 5-11, 11-4, 11-8, 12-10 in 47 min
