Commonwealth Games 2022 | Joshna Chinappa progresses into Squash quarterfinals with win over Kaitlyn Watts

Joshna Chinappa produced a sublime performance against New Zealand’s Kaitlyn Watts to progress into the quarterfinals of Squash on Sunday.

Chinappa had a comfortable outing in the previous game to enter the round of 16 against Watts. She beat Meagan Best of Barbados in straight sets with a scoreline of 11-8, 11-9 and 12-10.

However, the Indian star was made to work for her win on Sunday. Chinappa was down 7-0 in the first game but bounced back to win the opening game of the fixture with a score of 11-8.

Watts bounced back strongly in the second game and had a 6-4 lead at one point in the match. Despite Chinappa’s best efforts, the New Zealander took the second game with a score of 11-9.

With the match perfectly in the balance, the Indian star took her A-game in the third game and blew past Watts with relative ease to regain control of the match.

She won the third game with a scoreline of 11-4.

Both women were in good form in the fourth game and the score was 6-6 at one point as Watts retaliated to neutralize Chinappa’s strong start to the game.

The New Zealand star did her best to hold on to the match but Chinappa proved to be too good on the day and won the fourth game with a score of 11-6 and progressed into the quarterfinals of the squash event at the Commonwealth Games 2022.

The Indian star kept her medal hopes alive on Sunday and before the start of the tournament, she talked about how she wanted to achieve a singles medal as well.

“This is one of the best Indian teams. Saurav Ghosal and myself have been playing on the pro tours for a number of years. We are still in the top 20 in the world. We (India) definitely have a great chance of winning a medal in doubles. This time, we are also pushing to win a medal in singles as well,” said Chinappa.

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