Tiana proud of her Asian junior squash bronze

Tiana Parasrampuria with her trophy in Thailand last month

City squash player Tiana Parasrampuria, a Class 10 student of Bombay Scottish, Mahim, considers winning a bronze medal at the Asian Juniors Squash Championships in Pattaya, Thailand, last month, special. The Matunga-based player said winning the Asian trials (April 11 to 16 in Chennai) 10 days before her ICSE board exams (April 25 to May 20) and then getting a bronze a couple of weeks after her last paper was not an easy task for her.

In the semi-finals, she lost to Japan's Akari Midorikawa 3-0 (11-2, 11-5, 11-9). En route her bronze, she stunned Malaysia No.1 and the tournament's top seed Thanusa Uthrian 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-0) in the quarter-finals. Earlier, Tiana beat Sri Lanka's Ramlila Wood in the first round 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-3) and Hong Kong's 2nd seed Wong Hailey Shing Fei 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-9) in Round Two.

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"The bronze that I won in Thailand remains special to me for two reasons. It was the first International tournament I played post Covid-19. It felt amazing playing a tournament after two years, representing my country and connecting with players on the circuit once again. Also, what makes it more sweet is the fact that I was able to juggle and strike a balance between studies and sport. I trained even during my exams and went for the Asian trials and emerged victorious. I am eagerly awaiting the results [ICSE exams]. While I was giving my tests on court and in the exam hall I cannot forget to thank my parents Aalekh and Neha for their support to let me do what I want," Tiana, who is now playing the Dutch Junior Open in Amsterdam.

When asked which was the toughest match at the Asian Junior Championships, Tiana, who won a bronze at the same event in the U-13 category in 2018, replied: "The toughest match was the quarter-finals where I beat top seed [Thanusa] Uthrian in straight sets," explained Tiana, who trains under Ritwik Bhattacharya at Squash Temple and Real Training (START) Academy at Kalote-Mokashi and under Manish Chavhan in Mumbai.