Sri Lankan squash players fail to impress in Chennai

Yasaratne GAMAGE

France and Egypt won the early round World Squash Championship matches worked off yesterday in Chennai.

World Squash Federation President N Ramachandran officially declared the 2011 JSW SDAT WSF World Cup open for the first world squash Championship of the year at the Marriott Hotel in Chennai in India yesterday.

Nine nations, led by top seeds Egypt and England and including the world-number-one led Malaysia and hosts India, will compete in this unique two-man-one-woman WSF mixed team event in its third year.

The countries participate in the tourney in two pools. Pool A consists of Egypt, France, Malaysia, South Africa and Sri Lanka whereas England, Australia, India and Mexico make up Pool B. After early rounds at the Indian Squash Academy (ISA) in Chennai, the final stages of the championship will be held on an all-glass show court erected at the Express Avenue Mall, (EAM) the largest shopping complex in Southern India.

The first day matches started in the morning between Egypt and Malaysia while Sri Lanka played against France. Sri Lankan national champions Navin Samarasinghe and Sharya Guruge lost to French players Mathieu Castagnet and Coline Aumard to 3-0 respectively. Gihan Suwaris too could not overcome his strong opponent Greg Marche of France in all three sets.

Egypt beat Malaysia by 2-1 comprehensively. Karim Darwish beat Md Asraf by 3-0 and Md El Shorgagy beat Kamran Khan at 3-0. Nicol David of Malaysia

defeated Raneem El Weleily by 3-0.

Match results

Egypt beat Malaysia by 2-1, Karim Darwish BT Md. Asraf 3-0 (11-1, 11-5, 11-1), Md. El Shorbagy BT Kamran Khan 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-7), Raneem El Weleily LO Nicol David 3-0 (11-9,11-6,11-6).

France beat Sri Lanka 3-0

Mathieu Castagnet beat Navin Samarasinghe 3-0 (12-10, 11-4, 11-0), Greg Marche beat Gihan Suwaris 3-0 (11-2, 11-1, 11-2), Coline Aumard beat Sharya Guruge 3-0 (11-1, 11-3, 12-10).