Joshna Chinappa
by Hamsini Ravi
When somebody once referred to her as the “Sania Mirza of Squash,” quietly but defiantly, she replied, “If I’m the Sania Mirza of Squash, then Sania is the Joshna Chinappa of tennis.” This is how Joshna Chinappa answers every challenge that comes her way–in squash, as well as in life–with élan.
The easygoing 23-year-old cemented her indisputable place in the national rankings as a teenager when she won the national championship as many as five times before the age of 21. Ever since, she has taken women’s squash to dizzying international heights, paving the way for other good women contenders. Most recently, she won the German Open in Saarbrucken, taking her world ranking to 28, the best yet in her career.
Joshna Chinappa is training in London under the top squash coach, Malcolm Wilstrop.
As the Joshna Chinappa juggernaut rolls on, her trademark quality is to stay grounded, never acting like the celebrity and achiever that she is.
Joshna Chinappa’s International Wins:
- 2010- German Open
- 2010- International Doubles Invitational
- 2009- NSC Series No 6
- 2005- British Junior Open
- 2005- Asian Junior
- 2004- SAF Games
- 2004- Malaysian Junior
Sources:
- Krishna, Kalyani. Joshna Chinappa (interview). Outlook. 21 June 2010.
- Squash Info. 14 Aug. 2010.
- http://www.horizonsoftware.net/entry/wispa/ranking.php?player=T00595&page=biog
- Cyrus Poncha’s squash blog. 25 May 2010.
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