23/06/2005
CHENNAI -ICL Chennai Open, ICL Academy, Chennai, India
Bhattacharya beats giant-killer Schude in final
RESULTS:
(Note: Results are in draw order.)
1st round:
[1] Kashif Shuja (NZL) bt [Q] Kim Sung Young (KOR) 11-9, 11-10 (2-0), 11-10 (9-7) (52m)
[5] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) bt Abdullah Almezayen (KUW) 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8 (43m)
[3] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt [Q] Nasser B Al-Ramzi (KUW) 11-7, 11-7, 11-4 (28m)
Siddharth Suchde (IND) bt [7] Paul Davis (AUS) 11-2, 11-7, 11-5 (38m)
[Q] Parthiban Ayappan (IND) bt [8] Marton Szaboky (HUN) 10-11 (0-2), 10-11 (5-7), 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 (58m)
[4] Dylan Bennett (NED) bt [Q] Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) 11-4, 11-8, 11-10 (6-4) (35m)
[6] Timothy Arnold (MAS) bt Ryan Thompson (NAM) 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 (36m)
[2] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) bt Sandeep Jangra (IND) 11-10 (2-0), 11-4, 11-4 (26m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Kashif Shuja (NZL) bt [5] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) 8-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 (40m)
Siddharth Suchde (IND) bt [3] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-9, 11-10 (4-2), 10-11 (0-2), 11-7 (60m)
[4] Dylan Bennett (NED) bt [Q] Parthiban Ayappan (IND) 11-10 (3-1), 11-7, 11-8 (29m)
[2] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) bt [6] Timothy Arnold (MAS) 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 (26m)
Semi-finals:
Siddharth Suchde (IND) bt [1] Kashif Shuja (NZL) 10-11 (3-5), 6-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-7 (61m)
[2] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) bt [4] Dylan Bennett (NED) 11-9, 11-5, 6-11, 11-3 (47m)
Final:
[2] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) bt Siddharth Suchde (IND) 11-5, 11-5, 11-7 (41m)
REPORTS:
FINAL: Bhattacharya possessed in taking final
Siddharth Suchde put out three seeds on his run to the final but in the end it took its toll and he did not look as if he had recovered from his two previous matches which were both over the hour. Ritwik Bhattacharya, the second seed took advantage of the situation and had Suchde running all over the court from the very first point. Bhattacharya looked like a man possessed as he completed his mission in style to win 11-5, 11-5, 11-7 in just 41 minutes.
SEMIS: Sid Soars Into All-Indian Chennai Final
Harvard student Siddharth Suchde celebrated his summer vacation return to his home country in stunning style when he defeated top seed Kashif Shuja in a 61-minute marathon to reach the final of the ICL Chennai Open Squash Championship at the ICL Academy in Chennai, India.
The shock victory takes the 20-year-old into a surprise all-Indian final against Ritwik Bhattacharya, the second seed from New Delhi who beat Dylan Bennett, from the Netherlands, in four games.
Unseeded Suchde has enjoyed a giant-killing run in Chennai, following up a first round defeat of seventh seed Paul Davis with a 60-minute upset over third-seeded compatriot Saurav Ghosal in the quarter-finals.
Shuja, the New Zealand champion and winner of two PSA Tour titles in 2004, opened up a two-game lead against Suchde in the semi-final. Undaunted, however, underdog Suchde maintained his focus and soon levelled the match - before taking control of the fifth-game decider to earn his impressive 10-11 6-11 11-3 11-6 11-7 victory, and a place in his first PSA Tour final.
Bhattacharya, boasting a career-high world No59 ranking, had an altogether more straightforward victory over his fourth-seeded opponent. The London-based 25-year-old beat Bennett 11-9 11-5 6-11 11-3 in 47 minutes to reach his fifth PSA Tour final.
The final will be a repeat of the 2004 Chennai Open quarter-final clash between the two Indians, which Bhattacharya - who boasts a 100% record in PSA finals - won in straight games.
QUARTERS; Saurav Sidelined In Siddharth Upset
Whilst the seedings predicted local interest in both semi-finals, Siddharth Suchde claimed an unexpected place in the penultimate round of the ICL Chennai Open Squash Championship when he upset Indian compatriot Saurav Ghosal, the third seed, in an hour-long quarter-final clash at the ICL Academy in Chennai, India.
Unseeded Suchde, a 20-year-old taking time off from his studies at Harvard in the USA, battled hard against his 18-year-old rival - surviving one of two games which went to tie-breaks. But, in only his second PSA Tour event appearance this year, Suchde ultimately prevailed against the former British Junior Open champion, winning 11-9 11-10 10-11 11-7.
Suchde's third successive seeded opponent will be New Zealand favourite Kashif Shuja, the Pakistan-born 25-year-old who recovered from a game down to beat Hungary's Mark Krajcsak, the fifth seed, 8-11 11-8 11-6 11-6 in 40 minutes.
The other semi-final will feature India's No2 seed Ritwik Bhattacharya and fourth seed Dylan Bennett, from the Netherlands. The Dutchman ended Parthiban Ayappan's brave run, beating the Indian qualifier 11-10 11-7 11-8, while Bhattacharya overcame Malaysia's sixth seed Timothy Arnold 11-6 11-4 11-8 in just 26 minutes.
Locals Inspired In Chennai Open
All but one of the quarter-finals of the ICL Chennai Open Squash Championship will feature local interest after inspired achievements by qualifier Parthiban Ayappan and unseeded Siddharth Suchde in the first round of the PSA Tour event at the ICL Academy in Chennai, India.
Ayappan fought back from two games behind to defeat Hungary's eighth seed Marton Szaboky 10-11 10-11 11-5 11-6 11-5 to set up a meeting with Dylan Bennett, the fourth seed from the Netherlands.
An all-Indian last eight clash was the result of Suchde's surprise 11-2 11-7 11-5 victory over Australia's seventh seed Paul Davis. Suchde, from Delhi, will now face compatriot Saurav Ghosal, the third seed, for a place in the semi-finals.
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