Joshna Chinappa bounced back from two games down to retain the women's title, while compatriot Saurav Ghosal was outplayed by Amir Atlas Khan of Pakistan in the men's final of the 12th Asian Junior Squash (individual) championship at Chennai on Sunday.
Joshna was not focussed in the first two games against Hong Kong's Annie Au, but came back strongly to win the match at 5-9, 3-9, 9-0, 9-5, 9-3 in 57 minutes.
Ghosal's game was full of errors. Though he claimed the second game, Ghosal could not sustain the onslaught of his Pakistani rival and went down 1-9, 9-4, 3-9, 3-9.
Atlas Khan played a near flawless game and was a shade better than Ghosal in skills and technique. Ghosal shone in patches while Atlas Khan was in total control.
In the fourth game, serving for the match, Atlas Khan erred four times, perhaps under pressure, but saw Ghosal hit the tin from the backcourt after a long rally, to win the match.
In the women's final, Joshna was all at sea against Annie, whose strong forehand drives meant she never gave away points easily. The Indian was seen arguing with the referee time and again on points.
However, there was a total transformation in Joshna's game from the third game. She was innovative in scoring winners, with her deceptive drops from the front court and nick shots and boasts helping her win the match.
