Guangzhou: The Indian racqueters got off to a good start at the 16th Asian Games with both men's and women's team progressing to the quarterfinals of the squash singles event on the opening day at the Town Gymnasium here on Thursday.
The duo of Saurav Ghosal and Siddharth Suchde won their respective second-round matches in the men's event, while Chennai girls Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa thrashed their rivals with identical 3-0 scorelines to make it to the last-eight stage of the individual events.
Doha Asian Games bronze medallist and world ranked 25th Ghosal made short work of Ammar Altemimi from Kuwait, registering a facile 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 victory over his lesser-known opponent in just 32 minutes.
In the second game, world ranked 73rd Siddharth Suchde came back from a game down to script a morale-boosting win over Hong Kong's Wai Siu Lau 9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-4 in more than an hour long contest to move into the next round.
Suchde will now be preparing himself for a sterner test ahead as the USA-based Indian will be up against country-mate Ghosal in the quarters on Friday.
In the women's event, Pallikal, the 19-year-old world number 36, scored a comfortable 3-0 (11-4, 12-10, 11-1) victory over Gu Jinyue of China in just 23 minutes, while national champion Joshana blew away Aribado Jemyca of Philippines 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 in 19 minutes.
Pallikal runs into world number one Malaysian Nicol David in the quarterfinals on Friday. Nicol, who is eyeing her third Asian Games title, drubbed Park Eun Ok of Korea 3-0 in another first-round match.
Joshana, on the other hand, play Malaysian Low Wee Wern, who thrashed Matsui Chinatsu of Japan 3-0 in her opening round match.
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