Sydney
India’s Rathika Suthanthira Seelan came agonisingly close to clinching the NSW Open squash title, falling to Canadian top seed Iman Shaheen in a gripping five-game final on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Rathika, seeded second and ranked world No.180, displayed remarkable grit and skill to push the contest to the wire in her fourth PSA final. After dropping the first two games 8-11, 3-11, she mounted a spirited comeback, winning the next two 11-4 and 12-10 to level the match. However, Shaheen held her nerve in the deciding game to close out the contest 12-10 in a pulsating 61-minute battle.
Despite the defeat, Rathika’s performance in Sydney underscored her growing stature on the PSA Tour. Her ability to bounce back after a sluggish start and take the world No.121-ranked Shaheen to the brink reflected both her fitness and mental toughness.
A day earlier, the Chennai-based player had stormed into the final with a straight-games victory over New Zealand’s sixth seed Emma Merson, winning 11-6, 11-7, 11-8. The result marked her fourth career appearance in a PSA title match and continued her steady rise among India’s emerging women’s squash players.
Meanwhile, in Springfield, USA, India’s Veer Chotrani reached the final of the St James Expression Open, a PSA Copper event. The fifth seed and world No.51 defeated American third seed Timothy Brownell 11-8, 11-8, 11-4 in the semifinals to set up a summit clash with Mexican top seed Leonel Cardenas.
Rathika’s narrow loss and Chotrani’s progress highlight India’s growing presence on the global squash circuit, with both players showing the potential to break into higher rankings in the coming season.
