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Chennai
Since getting introduced to the sport, Rachel has been in love with it so much so that nothing else occupies her mind 24X7. “I used to go for sessions with my father and that is how it all started. Afterwards, it has been just squash. I don’t work or study now. So basically, it runs in my mind all the time,” Rachel, who defeated Georgia Adderley (Scotland) in the Round-of-16 of the HCL-SRFI Chennai leg on Monday, told DT Next.
Weaving her magic in the sport she adores, the 23-year-old made short work of her European opponent, closing out the contest in little less than half-hour. On a day when the aficionados had their eyes fixed on duels featuring Indian players, Rachel made heads turn at the Indian Squash Academy (ISA) Court 1 with her eye-catching gameplay. The Malaysian was satisfied with her display as he got the job done as soon as possible. “I was pretty confident. After the first game, I started to play well. Everything went as per plan and I am happy with the way things turned out,” she said. Rachel has been to the city before - a few times as a junior and once for the Asian Senior Individual Championships.
Having stayed inside four walls during her previous outings, the top seed of the PSA Challenger Tour wants to get a feel of Chennai this time around. “I like the food, it is similar to what we have. I have never really been out much, I stay at the hotel most of the time. Hopefully, I will be able to now,” added Rachel.
The Kuala Lumpur-based player has been ever present in the top-50 in the season-ending rankings since 2017. But, the gritty competitor desires to tick a few tough boxes in the coming years. “My ultimate goal is to breach the top-10. Hopefully, five years from now, I will achieve it. I have also got the dream of representing my country at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.”
Sunayna sails into quarters
Local lass Sunayna Kuruvilla eased past compatriot Tanvi Khanna 3-1 (5-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8) in the second round of the HCL-SRFI Chennai leg. Top seed Rachel Arnold (Malaysia) got the better of Scotland’s Georgia Adderley in straight games (11-4, 11-5, 11-5). In the men’s section, second seed Mahesh Mangaonkar (India) registered a hard-fought 3-2 victory over France’s Benjamin Aubert (13-11, 11-5, 4-2 (retd), 8-11, 7-11).
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