Reda Beats Sandhu to Claim Chennai Crown
by Sean Reuthe

photo PSA

October 22, 2015 - Number two seed Mohamed Reda came up with a scintillating performance to defeat home favourite Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu in the final of the JSW Indian Squash Circuit Chennai, PSA M10 event and secure his second PSA World Tour title in his last three tournaments.

The Egyptian second seed sealed his spot in the final after an assured 3-0 victory over compatriot Mazen Gamal in the previous round while Sandhu, appearing on home soil, swept to victory against 18-year-old Youssef Soliman.

Game one featured a number of long, engaging rallies before some errors from Sandhu handed Reda three game balls. The Indian No.3 fought back to force a tie-break but Reda stood firm to claim the opener by a 13-11 score line.

The pair traded blow for blow in the second game, with a mix of attritional rallies contrasting with some fantastic artistry at the front of the court. It was unforced errors again that proved to be Sandhu’s undoing as Reda pulled away at the end of the game to double his advantage.

World No.58 Reda surged into an early lead in the third but Sandhu pegged him back with the game evenly poised at the mid-way mark. After a gruelling rally, Sandhu appeared to have gotten the better of his opponent, having edged closer to clawing a game back, but Reda overturned the number one seed’s lead, recording an 13-11, 11-7, 11-9 victory to capture his 13th PSA World Tour title.

“I knew I had a tough challenge playing against Harinder on his home court,” said Reda.

“However, I have played on this court several times so it helped me to win the final. It’s great to win my second tournament in the last month on the PSA World Tour. I will definitely be back next year to play in the JSW Indian Squash Circuit.”

Result – Final: JSW Indian Squash Circuit Chennai 2015

[2] Mohamed Reda (EGY) bt [1] Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (IND) 3-0: 13-11, 11-7, 11-9 (59 mins)