Women Squash Championship: Maria braves ankle-injury to clinch title

South Waziristan-born player defeats top-seed Siyoli Waters 3-2 in final

KARACHI: Despite carrying an ankle injury, Maria Toorpakai stunned top-seed Siyoli Waters 3-2 in the final to clinch the 2nd Bahria Town International $10,000 Women Squash Championship title at the Safari Club, Bahria Town in Rawalpindi and took home $1,444.

“I’m really happy to win this title at home because you don’t often have a $10,000 WSA event being played in Pakistan,” Maria told The Express Tribune.

“A special mention goes to the efforts of the Pakistan Squash Federation and the sponsors without whom such an event was not possible. It’s a really positive sign for female squash players of Pakistan as they hardly get to play in tournaments. Hopefully, it’s just the start and more such tournaments will be held in the country.”

Maria had suffered an ankle-twist during her semi-final win and had to see a specialist to overcome the pain within 24 hours.

Her time on the treatment table proved fruitful for her as she was able to move freely in the early parts of the game and took a 2-0 lead.

However, as the game stretched, the pain came into play and Maria had to withdraw her attacking game for a more cautious approach to make sure that she stayed in the match.

Waters brought herself on level terms at 2-2 but Maria was not willing to give in and won the decider to win with a scoreline of 11-9, 11-7, 6-11, 10-12 and 12-10.

“Initially I was able to play my game and move freely but as the match progressed, I realised that I wouldn’t be able to play my preferred aggressive game. I was more cautious and started playing with rhythm instead of going out for winners,” Maria added. “I didn’t want to get injured because then all my efforts would have gone down the drain.”

Maria added that her ranking is suffering because she is not able to get more WSA tournaments under her belt, while also stating that she could break into the top players of the world if she gets more opportunities to play at such events.

“My rank is declining; not because I’m losing, but because I’m not able to play in more WSA tournaments. I am still able to beat the players who are in the top 30 and it’s just a matter of being regular. I’ve not given up hope of becoming a world champion one day,” she concluded.

 

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