Joshna charges into maiden World Series quarters in Hong Kong

India's Joshana Chinappa pulled off a sensational second successive upset in today's second round of the Women's Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open to claim her first ever quarter-final berth in a WSA World Series event.
After making her breakthrough in the first round where she upset No.7 seed Natalie Grinham, the 27-year-old from Mumbai stunned Denmark's No.15 seed Line Hansen 12-10 11-8 9-11 11-5 in 44 minutes to become the only unseeded player to reach the last eight of the final World Series Gold event of the year at the Hong Kong Squash Centre.
Currently just two places below the career-high world No.24 ranking she achieved two months ago, 11-time Indian national champion Joshna made her WSA World Series championship debut in the Kuwait Open qualifiers in March 2005.

Now, 28 World Series events later, the Chennai-born is making her long-awaited quarter-final debut.
"I hadn't played Line for five years but she's had some good results recently so I knew it would be tough," Joshna told www.Squashsite.Com later.
"I really like it here in Hong Kong and seem to play well. That's two good wins for me."

Joshna will now face Alison Waters, the No.4 seed from England who took only 23 minutes to dismiss Welsh qualifier Tesni Evans 11-2 11-4 11-5.
It was Waters that Joshna met in the first qualifying round in Kuwait in 2005.
"It will be very different tomorrow on the glass court, but I had a great time on there last year (beating Annie Au) so I hope to do well on there again tomorrow," concluded Joshna.

Two greats of the women's game will meet in the quarter-finals when defending champion Nicol David, the top seed from Malaysia, takes on 2010 runner-up Jenny Duncalf, the fifth seed from England.