Posted On Tuesday, February 05, 2013 at 09:35:33 AM
|
|
|
 |
| Dipika Pallikal |
Mumbai: Dipika Pallikal bounced back from her opening round defeat at the Tournament of Champions by clinching the Meadowood Open in freezing conditions at Winnipeg in Canada on Sunday night.
She defeated second seed Joey Chan of Hong Kong 11-9, 11-7, 11-4 to capture her first trophy of the season. “It was bitter cold, but as an athlete I’ve had to travel to all sorts of places, so I’m always well-equipped.
Your body gets used to the temperature. Besides, you’re more focussed on the game that you’ve gone there to play. And of course, the courts are warmer than the outdoors,” Pallikal told Mirror yesterday.
This triumph is the perfect tonic for Pallikal after her dismal show at the Tournament Champions last month, where she lost to compatriot Joshna Chinappa in her first game of the season.
But she came back strong at Meadowood, where she was the top seed, with convincing victories over France’s Laura Pomportes (Rd 1), New Zealand’s seventh seed Amanda Landers- Murphy (quarters), English fourth seed Sara-Jane Perry (semis) and Chan in the final.
“Joshna is a friend but irrespective each game is different. You play and you move on whether it’s the tournament or the round within the tournament,” said the World no 15. Dipika, who has been India’s best squash player for quite some time now, is set to be named in Femina’s list of 10 most beautiful Indians later this week.
She was named among the Top 50 in the last two years. Squash lovers will be hoping that the glamour Pallikal has been adding to the sport will help lift its profile in the country. “The game and the glamour are different things. While I truly appreciate the adulation, performance is what matters.
Finally we are vying for the Olympics and anything that pushes that further is great. But I would like to stand by my statement that you only think of your performance.
Sometimes glamour falls into play when you are recognised for your work,” said the 21-year-old, who will next be in action at the CIMB KL Open in Malaysia in March.
Being the first Indian women to break into the Top 10 in the world rankings, Pallikal knows just what it must mean to Saurav Ghosal to become the first Indian man to break into the Top 20. “We’ve trained together, so of course I always knew that his hard work would pay off. I’m waiting to see him in the Top 5,” said Pallikal.
|
04:23:28 PM