Dev Sharma beats Vedant Chhedda to win Under-15 CSK iSquash Open
Dev Sharma excelled at the Under-15 CSK iSquash Open held in Pune recently. After a gap of more than two years due to the pandemic, Nagpur boy Dev Sharma is back to winning ways.
Dev won his maiden Under-15 boys national tournament which concluded in the first week of July in Pune. Promising squash player Dev stamped his authority in style at the five-day event, organized by the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI).
After winning three matches, 14-year-old Dev outclassed Anshuman Jaisingh 3-1 in the quarterfinals. Dev got off to a bright start and consolidated his position as the match progressed. Although Anshuman Jaisingh tried to make a comeback by winning the set, Dev was in no mood to let go of the advantage.
Continuing his fine form in the semi-finals, Dev dismissed Rahul Balakrishan in straight sets and booked his place into another final. Dev dominated from the word go and did not give his opponent Rahul Balakrishnan any chance whatsoever.
Dev rallies to down Vedant Chhedda in a well-contested final
Dev captured his 13th national circuit title by completing his comeback against rival Vedant Chhedda in the final. Dev lost the first game by a very close margin of 13-15 but bounced back and won the next three sets 11-5, 11-8, 11-6.
The final was a tough encounter for Dev but the talented teenager fought well despite not getting the best of starts. After losing the opening set narrowly, Dev regrouped himself by claiming the next set.
Once he leveled the match 1-1, there was no looking back for Dev. He displayed his top performances as the match progressed to seal the fate of Vedant.
Dev also reached the pre-quarterfinals in the men’s category but lost to Indian team player Arnaav Sareen.
Tall and lanky Dev was pretty satisfied with his triumph and wants to maintain the tempo ahead of the season.
“I bagged a silver medal at the Century Squash Bangalore Open and finished third at the Latium NSCI Junior Open in Mumbai. Both the tournaments were held in May 2022. I am in fine form and want to make it count. I want to extend my winning spree in the next few tournaments,” Dev told Sportskeeda on Tuesday.
Dev thanked his coaches Vikas Jangra and Chetan Rathore for their constant guidance. He is training hard under the watchful eyes of his coaches and is looking forward to winning more tournaments in the coming months.