India's No 2 woman squash player Dipika Pallikal is having a great time on the court these days. After breaking into the top-100 in the world in the latest WISPA rankings released earlier this month, the 15-year-old Chennai girl recorded her best-ever performance on the senior tour when she made it to the main draw of the May 7-13 Hurghada International tournament in Egypt.

The main rounds of the $21,500 WISPA event get underway on the all-glass court in Hurghada tomorrow. Dipika had failed to get past the qualifying rounds in Kuwait and Qatar earlier this year, but she had no such problems in Hurghada where she accounted for both her Egyptian opponents in straight sets.

In Round One, the Indian girl beat Zena Sameh Makarem 9-0, 9-2, 9-3 in 20 minutes. She spent an extra seven minutes on court against Farida El Dahab before dispatching her 9-4, 9-6, 9-6 in the final qualifying round.

In the main draw opener, Dipika will take on World No 13 Engy Kheirallah. The earlier Egyptian opponents could do no harm to the 91st ranked Indian, but Dipika will have to raise her game against the next one.

Talking to The Indian Express, Dipika’s mother, Susan thanked the Mittal Champions Trust (MCT) for their support. “For Dipika at 15, it’s a dream to be able to play some of the world’s best players. Training in Egypt under a personal coach (Egyptian Md Hafiz) has really worked wonders,” Susan said.

MCT administrator Manisha Malhotra also added that training in Egypt has helped Dipika grow in confidence. “The Egyptian girls whom she beat in the qualifying rounds are her practice partners in Egypt. I wasn’t surprised that the matches lasted just 20-odd minutes, ” Manisha said.

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