Top seeded Ritwik Bhattacharya showed his skills in great measure coming into competitive squash after a four-month lay-off but went down fighting in the final of the 5th ICL Chennai Open PSA Championship.
With six PSA titles under his belt, Ritwik gave a good account before losing to second seeded Mohd Ali Anwar Reda of Egypt 11-2, 6-11, 5-11, 11-7, 6-11 in a 56 minute marathon.
Ritwik, who had a knee surgery about five months ago, was in his elements and showed his penchant for aggression in clinching the first game.
Controlling the 't' to good effect and playing from the front court almost throughout, Ritwik collected points at will using his drop shots and delayed drives.
On the other hand, Reda, who was pinned down to the back court in the first game, changed the pattern and slowed down the game to his advantage. Reda, known for his lobs and straight and cross court drives, always maintained a three point lead. In between, Ritwik lost focus and looked to be over-confident too and lost the second game.
It was the same story in the third game but Ritwik came back into the match in the fourth. The Indian waited for openings in the front court and won most of the rallies, mainly due to his aggressive court craft.
The fifth game looked to be going on even keel but as the match wore on, Reda, who looked to be more fitter physically, forced Ritwik to commit a couple of unforced errors before winning the game and the match.
N Ramachandran, President, Asian Squash Federation and Executive Director of India Cements gave away the trophies and prize money to the winner and the runner-up.
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