Jagtap, Aparajitha lift titles in Western India tourney

Mumbai, Dec 21 (PTI) Maharashtras Aditya Jagtap, seeded 3/4, got the better of second-seeded Gaurav Nandrajog of Delhi in three straight games to lift the mens title in the 74th CCI-Western India Squash championships here today.

Jagtap defeated Nandrajog 11-6, 11-7, 15-13 in a 30-minute encounter to take home the winner's prize money of Rs 1.25 lakh while the loser received Rs 62,000.

Jagtap was trailing 0-5 in the third game before reaching match-ball at 10-9 but needed four more match-balls to secure the game and the match in the final held at the Cricket Club of India.

Jagtap, who had beaten top seed Ravi Dixit in the semi finals, is on a roll this season, having been a finalist at Khar Gymkhana and winning the Otters Open, Maharashtra State Open and Juhu Vile Parle Gymkhana titles on the trot.

The womens crown was clinched by Tamil Nadus unseeded Aparajitha Balamurukan who prevailed over top seed Urwashi Joshi in four games - 11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4.

Aparajitha got Rs 35,000 while Urwashi became richer by Rs 15,000.

Anahat Singh, Pooja Arthi, Rutva Samant and Arnav Sareen upset the top seeds to emerge champions in their respective juniors categories.

Anahat of Delhi beat Diya Yadav of Maharashtra 3-1 for the girls under-11 title and Pooja of Tamil Nadu upset Aasya Patel of Madhya Pradesh 3-1 for the girls under-13 honours.

Top seed Aishwarya Khubchandani of Maharashtra, runner-up at the Pioneer Open in Germany this year, lived up to her reputation with a straight games win for the girls under-15 crown.

Maharashtra's Samant rallied from 1-2 to shock state-mate Yuvraj Wadhwani 3-2 for the boys under-13 title, while Sareen defeated Tanay Punjabi 3-1 in another all-Maharashtra final to claim the boys under-15 crown.

Ekambir Singh bagged the boys under-11 title.

Results (All finals): Men: Aditya Jagtap (Mah) bt Gaurav Nandrajog 11-6, 11-7, 15-13.

Women: Aparajitha Balamurukan bt 1-Urwashi Joshi11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4

Girls U-11: Anahat Singh bt Diya Yadav 11-6, 3-11, 11-6, 11-2.

Girls U-13: Pooja Arthi R. bt Aasya Patel 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3.

Girls U-15: Aishwarya Khubchandani bt Yuvna Gupta 11-6, 11-2, 11-6;

Girls U-17: Ananya Dabke bt 1-Jannia Singh 7-11,11-3,11-8,11-6.

Girls U-19: 1-Ashita Pranaya Bhengra bt 5/8 Radhika Rathore 11-5,11-9, 11-7.

Boys U-11: Ekambir Singh bt Dev Sharma 11-1, 11-4, 11-4.

Boys U-13: Rutva Samant bt Yuvraj Wadhwani 15-13, 9-11, 7-11, 11-3, 11-4.

Boys U-15: Arnaav Sareen bt Tanay Punjabi 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5.

Boys U-17: 1-Prithvi Singh bt 2-Advait Adik 9-11; 11-6,12-14,11-5,11-5.

Boys U-19: Veer Chotrani bt 9/16 Tushar Shahani 4-11,11-6, 11-7,5-11,12-10