Sandhu clinches squash challenger title

Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu Chennai, Nov 21 : The Indian Squash Academy courts here proved to be a happy hunting ground for 19-year old Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu as he claimed his second PSA title in as many months defeating James Snell of England 11-6, 13-11, 11-7 in the final of the Indian Challenger Series here Saturday.

A couple of months back, Sandhu had won the Challengers Series-3 event at the same venue and today's victory underlined his potential.

In the women's final, Fiona Moverley of England beat Malaysia's Siti Munirah Jusoh 10-12, 12-10, 11-4, 14-12 in 45 minutes to annex her second title in the past fortnight.

The third seeded Sandhu, who has been in impressive form in the recent months, was far too consistent for Snell whose game turned error-prone with the wily Indian stepping up the pace.

The only time that the 107th ranked Englishman looked anywhere in contention was in the second game when he led 8-7 before Sandhu recovered quickly to jump to a
10-9 advantage. However, Snell levelled when the Indian hit the tin. After a couple of exchanges, Sandhu finally wrapped up the frame to take control of the match.

In the third game, Sandhu was off the blocks quickly to enjoy a 9-4 lead and then saw off a late challenge from Snell to pocket the title.(IANS)