Pallikal Powers To Winnipeg Win by Howard Harding February 2, 2015
- After conceding a game in the opening round, top seed Dipika Pallikal
showed her true class in the Winnipeg Winter Club Women's Open by
reclaiming the WSA Challenger 15 squash title at the Winnipeg Winter
Club in Winnipeg, Canada, without dropping a further game.
The 2013 champion from India reached the final - the 15th of her career
on the WSA World Tour - after beating Donna Urquhart, the fourth seed
from Australia making her Tour return after a six-month foot injury
break.
In the final predicted by the draw, Pallikal faced second seed Heba El
Torky, the 24-year-old world No.26 from Egypt who finished as runner-up
in 2014.
El Torky survived a hard-fought five-game semi-final against Samantha
Teran, the third seed from Mexico nine years her senior, eventually
clinching victory on her third match-ball.
"Right from the start of the final, Dipika looked in full control of
her game and the match," said tournament spokesman Trevor Borland.
"Dipika was striking the ball crisp and clean as she always does,
mixing in an array of wicked offensive boasts, mostly from the forehand
side as well as timely flicks and lots of dying length.
"Perhaps Heba's hour and forty-five minute match from the day before
had something to do with it, but Dipika looked in as good a form as we
had seen this week. After getting down 10-6 in the second, Heba climbed
back to 9-10 on a few of Dipika's errors, but at 9-10 Dipika decided to
do nothing but wait for an error from El Torky which she was rewarded
with after an a very long backhand rally and took the second.
"A little tighter third, but the outcome looked inevitable as Dipika
rolled on to win her second Winnipeg Winter Club Women's Open title."
The 11-4, 11-9, 11-8 triumph marks the 10th WSA Tour title of Pallikal's career.
"Very happy to win my first tournament of the year in Winnipeg:)" the
23-year-old from Chennai told her Twitter followers later. "A big thank
you to @Fitzsquash & @basu2013 :)"
RESULTS: Winnipeg Winter Club Women's Open, Winnipeg, Canada
