Squash: Joshana Chinapa scripts biggest upset, beats World No. 1 Raneem El Welily
Ranked 20th in the world, Chinappa took just 37 minutes to score the 11-9, 11-6, 4-11, 11-9 win over the Egyptian at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
Ace Indian squash player Joshana Chinappa has knocked out world number one Raneem El Welily in the opening round of the Qatar Classic in Doha. The feat is considered as one of the biggest upsets of the ongoing season, and is the first time the 29-year-old has beaten a top ranked player in the professional squash circuit.
Ranked 20th in the world, Chinappa took just 37 minutes to score the 11-9, 11-6, 4-11, 11-9 win over the Egyptian at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha. Chinappa worked well to lodge a comfortable 2-0 lead before El Welily cameback with a strong 11-4 win in the third game. However, in the fourth, the 26-year-old Egyptian made a crucial error while leading 9-8 which allowed the 14-time national champion to level the scores and then further claim the match.
“This is by far the best win of my career — it doesn’t get any better than beating the player at the top of the world rankings,” Chinappa said after the game. “I’ve played Raneem many times before so to get out to a 2-0 lead was huge and really gave me hope. With a player of her quality you can never be sure, she’s world number one for a reason and she can come back from any position even when not at her best, so I’m really happy to come through. I’ve not been looking at my rankings or anything like that of late and I think that’s showing through in my game. I’m more relaxed on court and it’s paying off at the moment,” she added.
Just last month, Chinappa overcame 10th ranked Annie Au in the US Open – a feat she has now eclipsed by beating the top player in the world. Chinappa now moves into the second round where she will play another Egyptian, world number 25 Yathreb Adel, who incidentally beat Chinappa’s compatriot Dipika Pallikal 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 in their first round.
