Hong Kong Open: Joshna advances; exit for Ghosal, Pallikal

Joshna Chinappa faced a tough fight from Hollie Naughton of Canada but in the end, she won 11-5, 8-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6 in 51 minutes.

The 11th seeded Joshna Chinappa will meet Nouran Gohar of Egypt in the next round.

Indian squash has clearly come a long way. There are so many champions in the mix that if one fails, the other delivers. On a day when Saurav Ghosal and Dipika Pallikal failed to reach the next round, Joshna Chinappa upped the ante in the main draw of the Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open here on Wednesday.

She faced a tough fight from Hollie Naughton of Canada but came out victorious after five games. The 51-minute battle ended 11-5, 8-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-6 in favour of Chinappa.

The 11th seeded Indian will meet Nouran Gohar of Egypt in the next round.

Ghosal, who tasted success in the CCI international recently, struggled against Declan James of England, who looked in fine form. Ghosal lost 11-9, 11-6, 11-9.

Pallikal had a tough opponent in Nour El Tayeb (Egypt). The champion thrashed the Indian 11-4,11-4,11-8 in 17 minutes.