Indian challenge ends at Hong Kong Squash Open

It was curtains for India in the Hong Kong Squash Open after national champion Saurav Ghosal went down fighting to World No 3 Egyptian Amr Shabana in the first round men's singles match of the $147,500 PSA event at HK Squash Centre.

In the women's section, India's top-ranked players Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal too lost their respective first round matches to crash out of the $74,000 WISPA World Tour squash event.

The third seed from Cairo, looking for his sixth title in a row, was stretched by the unseeded Indian but Amr held his nerves to win in 53 minutes.

World ranked 26th Ghosal lost 12-14, 11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 3-11 in the decider of the PSA World Tour squash event - the fifth PSA Super Series championship of the year in Hong Kong.

"That's what it's about, a win's a win. He stepped up and kept in front of me in the second, he had a game plan and stuck to it. I lost my way in the fourth, and the fifth is always anyone's, you just hope to get a few points ahead at the start and hang on to it," said the relieved 31-year-old Shabana.

"I managed to do that, and he lost his way a bit at the end," he added.

Among the women, Chinappa after being a game up, went down to 10th seed and World No 12 Engy Kheirallah of Egypt 11-9, 6-11, 4-11, 10-12 in 36 minutes.

Pallikal, earning a place in the main draw after winning the qualifying finals, went down fighting to Vanessa Atkinson of The Netherlands in the opening round.

India's second-ranked player Pallikal lost 9-11, 7-11, 11-6 7-11 in 34 minutes.