Joshna goes down fighting to top seed Annie

Joshna, the current world no 10, gave a very good fight to her world no 13 ranked opponent in the first two games before losing 9-11, 11-13, 7-11 in 55 minutes at the Otters Club in suburban Bandra.

Second seeded Joshna was the lone Indian player left in the fray on the final day of the tournament.

Joshana Chinappa’s stiff resistance couldn’t help her to snatch the title as she went down fighting to Hong Kong’s Annie Au in the women’s final of the inaugural JSW Indian Open squash, which concluded at the Otters Club on Sunday. Iker Pajares Bernabeu’s triumph in the men's final meant the evening belonged to top seeds in both the events.

Chinappa, seeded second, tried every trick in her armoury but Au managed to hold her nerves in the crunch moments. Chinappa targeted her opponent’s backhand corner in the opening game whilst Annie controlled the pace, mixing the height with some precise drops. However, the Chennai girl couldn’t close out either of the first two games.

While the packed stands, enthralled with some exhaustive rallies, egged Chinappa on, she suffered a major jolt, feeling discomfort in her knee after the second game. That restricted her movements and Au eventually closed out the match 11-9, 13-11, 11-7 in 55 minutes.

The men’s final, in comparison, turned out to be a cakewalk for Bernabeu as he made short work of fellow Spaniard Edmon Lopez 11-3, 11-9, 11-3 in just 27 minutes.

Final results:

Women’s: Annie Au (HKG) bt (2) Joshana Chinappa (IND) 11-9, 13-11, 11-7.

Men’s: Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Edmon Lopez (ESP) 11-3, 11-9, 11-3.