WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: ICL Chennai Open Squash Championship, ICL Academy, Chennai, India

Semi-finals:
Siddharth Suchde (IND) bt [1] Kashif Shuja (NZL) 10-11 (3-5), 6-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-7 (61m)
[2] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) bt [4] Dylan Bennett (NED) 11-9, 11-5, 6-11, 11-3 (47m)

Sid Soars Into All-Indian Chennai Final

Harvard student Siddharth Suchde celebrated his summer vacation return to his home country in stunning style when he defeated top seed Kashif Shuja in a 61-minute marathon to reach the final of the ICL Chennai Open Squash Championship at the ICL Academy in Chennai, India.

The shock victory takes the 20-year-old into a surprise all-Indian final against Ritwik Bhattacharya, the second seed from New Delhi who beat Dylan Bennett, from the Netherlands, in four games.

Unseeded Suchde has enjoyed a giant-killing run in Chennai, following up a first round defeat of seventh seed Paul Davis with a 60-minute upset over third-seeded compatriot Saurav Ghosal in the quarter-finals.

Shuja, the New Zealand champion and winner of two PSA Tour titles in 2004, opened up a two-game lead against Suchde in the semi-final.  Undaunted, however, underdog Suchde maintained his focus and soon levelled the match - before taking control of the fifth-game decider to earn his impressive 10-11 6-11 11-3 11-6 11-7 victory, and a place in his first PSA Tour final.

Bhattacharya, boasting a career-high world No59 ranking, had an altogether more straightforward victory over his fourth-seeded opponent.   The London-based 25-year-old beat Bennett 11-9 11-5 6-11 11-3 in 47 minutes to reach his fifth PSA Tour final.

The final will be a repeat of the 2004 Chennai Open quarter-final clash between the two Indians, which Bhattacharya - who boasts a 100% record in PSA finals - won in straight games.