There was unexpected home success in the JSW PSA Indian Circuit 4 when
India's Harinder Pal Sandhu upset top seed Karim Ali Fathi in the final
of the PSA Challenger 10 squash event at the Indian Squash Academy in
Chennai to win his third title on the four-event JSW Indian Squash
Challenger Circuit.
The Chennai-based 25-year-old took the match 11-8, 11-3, 11-6 in 42
minutes to bring his Indian Circuit success to three titles after
winning events number one and three, in Jaipur and Mumbai, respectively.
"It feels really great,” said Sandhu. “I'm very relieved after four
weeks coming to a good end.
“I felt a slight pressure playing at home. I know he likes to play fast.
I just wanted to weather the storm. He wasn't moving quickly to the
corners. I used that to my advantage."
“Both set a furious pace from the start, and each game saw lightning
exchanges and brilliant play by both,” explained Circuit Director Liesl
Goecker. "But Sandhu zeroed in on Fathi's weakness early on and sent
drop after drop into the corners to take the lead.
“The Egyptian couldn't find an edge against Sandhu, and briefly held the
lead in the third game, but couldn't hold on.”
Gopul Hosur, Vice President of Corporate Relations for the JSW Group and
the tournament's chief guest, said: "This circuit is one of our key
sponsorships.
“We've found the response has been tremendous. In years to come, we hope
to keep increasing our promotion of squash," added Hosur (pictured with
Sandhu and women’s champion Dipika Pallikal).
