Bhattacharya dethrones Behl

CALCUTTA, Jan 16: Delhi youngster Ritwick Bhattacharya dethroned Akhil Behl as the national squash champion at the Calcutta Racket Club here today. Nineteen-year-old Bhattacharya, a St. Stephen student, needed 59 minutes to beat Behl 9-7, 9-7,2-9, 9-2. This was Bhattacharya’s third title of the season after the Western and the Central India Opens.In the women’s section, Mekhla Subedar retained her crown with a comfortable 9-3, 9-2, 9-1 victory over Sohini Kumar. The game which lasted 32 minutes, found Subedar dominating throughout. The men’s final was a much more exciting affair with Bhattacharya mixing his dropshots very well. He aimed his placing at either of the corners making it difficult for Behl to recover. The Maharashtra player, who had led his team to victory in the Inter-State Championships, also displayed a good touch occasionally and at no stage did he give up the fight.Bhattacharya, in a sporting gesture conceded that he hit the board in the second game with a 8-6 lead, which the umpire hadfailed to notice.

However, in the very next game, Behl did not do so, making Bhattacharya lose his concentrating. As the Delhi player hit aggressive shots, Behl played calmly to take the game. Bhattacharya regained composure in the fourth game and although Behl took the lead initially, Bhattacharya left him stranded at 2 to take away the title.