Dipika Pallikal became the first Indian to make it to the top ten in the WSA world squash ranking, according to the latest list released on Saturday.
Dipika Pallikal became the first Indian to make it to the top ten in the WSA world squash ranking, according to the latest list released on Saturday.
“I am proud to do it for India,” Dipika told DNA soon after landing in Chennai after her Hong Kong tournament. “It was the first goal for me and I am happy that I have attained that this year.
Dipika is now preparing for the world championship to be held in Cayman Islands in Western Caribbean later this year.
“I always wanted that Indians become worldbeaters in this sport, and I am sure this ranking will do a world of good for me,” said Dipika.
Dipika turned a pro in 2006 but her career was filled with ups and downs initially. She became more consistent and started notching up winning performances after her brief training stint in Egypt in the beginning of 2011.
She clinched her first of three WISPA titles for 2011 in September by winning the Orange County Open in Irvine, California. She notched up her second in the United States with another WISPA tour event victory. The third came in Hong Kong in the Crocodile Challenge Cup in December 2011 and that took her to number 17 in world rankings.
However, it was her performance in the World Open that shot her into the limelight. She finished in the top eight. She claimed a career best ranking of 14 as a result of these victories in February 2012, surpassing the earlier best world ranking by an Indian - 27th by former national champion Misha Grewal in 1995.
In January 2012, she became the first Indian ever to reach the summit clash of a Silver event when she reached the final of the Tournament of Champions squash meet in New York. In August, she went one step further when she reached the semifinals of a gold event, the 2012 Australian Open, another first for an Indian.
She has been conferred with the Arjuna Award, India’s second highest sporting award earlier this year. Till date, Dipika has won the German Open, Dutch Open, French Open, Australian Open, Scottish Open on the European Junior Squash Circuit.
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