Indian ace Joshna Chinappa faltered at the final hurdle and lost to Egypt's Raneem El Weleily in the title round of the World Junior Squash Championships that concluded in Belgium on Tuesday.
The top-seeded Indian lost to the second seeded Egyptian at 3-9, 4-9, 8-10.
Joshna, who was pinned to the back-court for most of the match, was unable to raise her game against the Egyptian, who showed a lot of variety.
It was only in the third game that she threatened the Egyptian, albeit briefly, taking an initial lead before Weleily, ranked 36 in the WISPA, got back into her rhythm. Though Joshna saved a match-point, the Egyptian won on a 'single extra point'.
Joshna, ranked 60 on the WISPA, attributed her loss to lack of strong sparring partners and exposure.
"Perhaps, I need to practice with an equally strong player back home. I will now concentrate on the Asian Games and Asian level tournaments in the WISPA. On my return, I will undergo a physical training programme and then move to Amsterdam for training under Liz Irving," she said.
