Squash: Kush, Lakshya emerge champs

Chennai, Aug 31 (IANS):

National junior champion and Asian Youth Games gold medalist Kush Kumar was in devastating form to defeat his training partner Deepak Mishra 11-3, 11-6, 11-3, to lift the Boys Under-19 title for the third consecutive year in the Indian Open junior squash championship here Saturday.

Lakshya Ragavendra claimed her first Girls Under -19 crown routing second seeded Urwashi Joshi from Maharashtra 11-9, 11-3, 11-4. Lakshya’s hard-hitting ability rattled Urwashi who had no answer throughout the match.

The biggest upset of the day was when Krish Kapur from West Bengal seeded 5/8, defeated second seeded Robin Singh Mann from Delhi 14-12, 12-14, 12-10, 11-3.

The duo rallied extensively to share the first two games before Kapur won the decisive third game in extra point and then took the fourth omfortably.

The results (all finals):

BOYS – Under-11: 1-Navaneeth Prabhu (TN) bt 2-Neel Joshi (MH) 11-5 6-11 11-6 8-11 11-5. Under-13: 1-Mohd. Hafiz Zhafri (Malaysia) bt Yash Fadte (Goa) 11-6 11-6 12-10. Under-15: Krish Kapur (WB) bt 2-Robin Singh Mann (DEL) 14-12 12-14 12-10 11-3.

Under-17: 2-Velavan Senthil Kumar (TN) bt 1-Sandeep Ramachandran (TN) 11-8 11-3 10-12 11-5. Under-19: 1-Kush Kumar (TN) bt 2-Deepak Mishra (TN) 11-3 11-6 11-3 .

GIRLS – Under-11: 1-Jessica Keng Jia Hui (Malaysia) bt 2-Vasundhra Vasanthan (Malaysia) 11-7 11-5 11-9. Under-13: 3-Samita Sivakumar (TN) bt Navmi Sharma (MH) 13-11 6-11 11-9 6-11 11-5. Under-15: 2-Cheng Nga Ching (Hong Kong) bt 1-Akanksha Salunkhe (Goa) 7-11 11-9 11-4 10-12 11-7.

Under-17: 2-Ho Ka Wing (Hong Kong) bt 3-Mayuri Namasivayam (TN) 11-7 11-3 11-8. Under-19: 3-Lakshya Ragavendran (TN) bt 2-Urwashi Joshi (MH) 11-9 11-3 11-4.