Joshna Chinappa: “The Top Ten Is A Very Special Place”

Exactly four years after making it into the top ten in the PSA World Rankings for the first time in her career, India’s Joshna Chinappa can say she is a member of the top ten in the world once more.

The 33-year-old, who is India’s No.1 player, first made it inside that mark in the rankings in July 2016, and last featured inside the top ten in the world that September.

Chinappa has been no lower than World No.17 in the four year period since then, before climbing back into the World No.10 position in July following the retirement of 2017 World Champion Raneem El Welily, and when we spoke to her prior to that, the Indian star was looking to get back into the top ten.

“The top ten is a very special place to be in and I hope I can get back in there!” Chinappa said when we spoke to her.

She also admitted that, following a run of almost five years where she has been in the top 20 consecutively, how proud of that achievement she is.

“It’s definitely tough staying in the top 20, especially since the level has gone up tremendously in the women’s tour so I am proud of managing to stay there,” the 33-year-old said.

Along with spending so much time inside the top 20, and having now cracked the top ten for a third time, Chinappa also has the proud stature of being Indian No.1, a position she took from Dipika Pallikal Karthik.

Being Indian No.1 has always been something I have wanted to be since I was very young,” she explained.

“There have been many really tough girls I have had to compete with over the years and still continue to do so.”

Looking back at the 2019-20 season, Chinappa was a consistent performer, reaching the last 16 at most of the major tournaments, including the World Championships in front of the Pyramids of Giza.

The World No.10 admitted how tough it is to get into the latter stages of the major tournaments, due to the high level throughout the women’s rankings.

“The competition outside the top 16 is extremely strong as well and I think I have to just try to stay as consistent as I can by beating players outside the top 16,” she said.

“They are just as hungry to break through the rankings and hopefully I can also beat the girls inside the top ten too!”

Her best performance of the season came at the Oracle NetSuite Open in her first event of the campaign. She made it all he way through to the semi-finals of the PSA Gold event.

To do so, she had to overcome the tournament’s No.4 seed, Joelle King, in a tricky tussle at Embarcadero Plaza in Downton San Francisco. Chinappa admits she is a fan of the city, and loved the tournament.

“It was the first time I had been to San Francisco and played the tournament. I loved the place from the minute I got in. And it felt nice to play well at the tournament too!”