Dipika is 145;main draw146;in Egypt

In Round One, the Indian girl beat Zena Sameh Makarem 9-0, 9-2, 9-3 in 20 minutes. She spent an extra seven minutes on court against Farida El Dahab before dispatching her 9-4, 9-6, 9-6 in the final qualifying round.

In the main draw opener, Dipika will take on World No 13 Engy Kheirallah. The earlier Egyptian opponents could do no harm to the 91st ranked Indian, but Dipika will have to raise her game against the next one.

Talking to The Indian Express, Dipika’s mother, Susan thanked the Mittal Champions Trust MCT for their support. “For Dipika at 15, it’s a dream to be able to play some of the world’s best players. Training in Egypt under a personal coach Egyptian Md Hafiz has really worked wonders,” Susan said.

MCT administrator Manisha Malhotra also added that training in Egypt has helped Dipika grow in confidence. “The Egyptian girls whom she beat in the qualifying rounds are her practice partners in Egypt. I wasn’t surprised that the matches lasted just 20-odd minutes, ” Manisha said.

The squash ace told this paper that she wants to play “as many WISPA events as possible this season and focus on her fitness.”

After the Egyptian event, Dipika will play the WISPA meet in Los Angeles in June.