Picture Credit: Twitter
India's Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Harinderpal Singh Sandhu clinched a gold medal at the inaugural Asian Mixed Doubles Squash Championships in Hangzhou, China on Friday, June 30. The Indian duo defeated Malaysia's Rachel Arnold and Ivan Yuen 11-10, 11-8 in the final to claim the title.
Dipika and Harinder had a tough road to the final, as they had to overcome the top-seeded Malaysian pair of Aira Azman and Shafiq Kamal in the quarterfinals and the second-seeded Pakistan duo of Tayyab Aslam and Faiza Zafar in the semifinals.
The final was a close affair, as both pairs fought hard for every point. The first game went down to the wire, with Dipika and Harinder edging it 11-10. The second game was more comfortable for the Indians, as they raced to an 11-8 win to seal the match and the gold medal.
Meanwhile, the other Indian pair of Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh lost against national pair Ivan Yuen-Rachel Arnold in the semifinals of men’s doubles. However, with their loss, the pair secured a bronze medal. This was the first time that an Asian Mixed Doubles Squash Championships was held, as part of the Asian Squash Federation's initiative to promote the sport in the continent. The tournament featured eight teams from six countries: India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Iran, Hong Kong, and China.
