World No 17 squash player hopes his achievement will spur compatriots to raise their game
India's top-ranked squash player, Saurav Ghosal, was left disappointed after his 11-9, 11-5, 11-9 quarter-final loss to World No 1 Ramy Ashour yesterday.
India’s top squash player Saurav Ghosal
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However, the World No 17 took heart from the fact that his historic run to the quarter-finals of the World Squash Championship, a feat no other Indian man has achieved, will spur his compatriots to raise their game. “I hope this (my entry into the quarter-final) will help the juniors get some confidence in themselves. It will send a message to other Indian players that it can be done,” Saurav told MiD DAY from Manchester yesterday.
Apart from Ghosal, Harinder Pal Sandhu (84th rank) and Mahesh Mangaonkar (89) are the only Indians in the Top 100.
Ghosal, who has never beaten Ashour in four previous encounters, came very close to taking a first game lead in the quarter-final yesterday.
“There were a couple of touch-and-go points in the first game. When you play against a player of Ramy’s (Ashour) quality, there are some very, very fine lines. u00a0“After he won the first game, he took the momentum into the second. I’m disappointed at having lost but he played really well. Ramy’s not been beaten in the last one and a half years, so he’s the man to beat,” Ghosal added.
Saurav’s historic run at the World Championship
. Rd 1: bt Joe Lee 3-0
. Rd 2: bt Alister Walker 3-1
. Rd 3: bt Henrik Mustone 3-2
. Q-F: lost to Ramy Ashour 0-3
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