India’s veteran squash player Saurav Ghosal on Tuesday produced a resounding performance to overwhelm Japan’s Ryunosuke Tsukue 3-0 to storm into the semifinals of the Men’s Singles event here at the 19th Asian Games. Ghosal, a stalwart in Indian squash, completed what can only be described as a rout in about 45 minutes. He registered a commanding scoreline of 11-5, 12-10, 11-3, leaving no room for his opponent to stage a comeback.
In the first game, Saurav Ghosal opened up a 3-point lead after a big rally. Saurav Ghosal cruised past the World No.61 with a dominating score of 11-4. Tsukue showed signs of life in the second game, the Japanese offered a little bit more of a resistance early in the second game as he tied at 3-3. A beautiful forehand drop from Saurav Ghosal took him to the 7-4 lead at the end of a long rally.
Tsukue saved two match points. However, a stroke awarded to Saurav Ghosal saw him earn a match point with a combination of a brilliant backhand down the line followed by a perfectly executed backhand drop shot, clinching the second set by 12-10.
In the third game of the match, the Japanese player was no match to the Indian stalwart’s aggressive matchplay. Saurav Ghosal without breaking a sweat in the third game clinched a victory and secured his ninth Asian Games medal.
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Earlier in the day, Dipika Pallikal and Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu registered a 2-1 victory against the Philippines’ Jemyca Aribado and Robert Andrew Garcia in the mixed doubles quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh secured a spot in the semifinal with a comprehensive victory over the Korean duo. The Korean duo managed to put up a fight but in the end, they were no match for the Indian duo as they registered a 2-1 victory in the quarterfinals.
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