the goan I network
PANAJI
Goan squash star Yash Fadte entered the U-19 boys’ finals of the 3rd Indian Classic Junior Open Squash Tournament on Tuesday.
The 16-year-old unseeded Vascoite, beat number 2 seed Rahul Baitha of Maharashtra 8-11, 13-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-7 to reach the summit clash in the tournament played at Bombay Gymkhana, Mumbai. Fadte will take on Maharashtra’s Chaitanya Shah in the final on Wednesday.
The Goan boy, who has been making waves in the men’s and the junior circuit, had outplayed Raunak Advani of Maharashtra 11-7, 11-1, 11-4 in the quarter-finals after getting the better of Chennai lad Gowtham Karthick 11-2, 11-5 11-3 in the pre-quarterfinals.
“This has been a great couple of weeks for me as I have been putting my training to good use. I have gained a lot of confidence by playing some of the top players,” Fadte said about his performance in the tournament.
In the title clash, Fadte will take on Shah, who has turned out to be a surprise package in the tournament. Shah has been reeling in upsets, and the biggest one came when he ousted India No 1 Tushar Shahani 11-6, 4-11, 14-12, 11-6 in the semi-finals.
Shah had earlier defeated Ajay Unadkat, who is seeded in the (5/8) bracket, clinching a close contest 11-9, 11-8, 11-2. Shahani had defeated Shloke Sahay 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 to advance to the
last four.
