Dipika Pallikal starts off well at KL Open squash

Kuala Lumpur - India’s top squash player Dipika Pallikal made a solid start in the KL Open squash tournament beating Lisa Aitken of Scotland in straight sets here Wednesday.

The World No.15 got past her 40th-ranked opponent 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 after a 34 minute contest at the National Squash Centre.

Another Indian in the fray, Joshana Chinappa, lost to New Zealand’s World No.7 Joelle King 5-11, 4-11, 5-11. Joshana had to qualify for the main draw.

Dipika’s next match is against eighth-ranked Jenny Duncalf, whom she has not beaten in three meetings.

“It is going to be tough. She is a former World No.2 and has a lot of experience. I played her in November and had a good match. So, I am looking forward to playing her again,” Dipika told IANS referring to her 1-3 loss against the England player.

It is very much start of the season and prior to coming here, Dipika trained for two weeks in Australia with five-time World Open winner Sarah Fitz-Gerald.

“It is always good being there. Last year I was there for three weeks and it helped me a great deal. This time, Sarah and I did not work on anything specific. The focus was on my overall game,” said the first Indian to break into the top-10 of world rankings.