Dipika Pallikal goes down fighting in Asian Junior squash

Dipika Pallikal goes down fighting in Asian Junior squash

India’s Dipika Pallikal, the second seed, blew two match points as she went down to arch-rival Low Wee Wern of Malaysia in five games in the girls singles final of the 14th Asian Junior squash championship at the ICL Academy courts, here Monday.

The top seeded Wern won the 49-minute encounter 11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 9-11, 12-10.

final, second seed Ivan Yuen of Malaysia overcame top seeded Leo Au of Hong Kong 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4.

While Dipika, ranked 50 in the world, matched her Malaysian rival stroke for stroke and at times even looked the better among the two, she was unable to finish off the contest when she was ahead in the fourth game.

Dipika showed far more variety in her game, but some errors at critical juncture helped Wern, ranked 42nd, to escape from the jaws of a certain defeat.

The match looked a repeat of British Open junior final, where the two had met last.

Earlier, Dipika, after losing the first game, came back strongly to go 5-0 up in the second and went on to level at 1-1.

It was touch-and-go thereafter with Wern winning the third game and Dipika the fourth with both players being prone to errors.

Meanwhile, the preliminary rounds of the team championship commenced Monday. The final will be held Jan 23.

Source: http://www.freshnews.in