<p>India No 2, Suchde, however will be pressed hard in the race for top prize of Rs 1.4 lakh by fellow Maharashtrian and second seeded Mahesh Mangaonkar besides facing stiff competition from third seed Gaurav Nandrajog of Delhi and Navy's Vikas Jangra.<br /><br />The World No 69, who slipped in the last qualifying round of the US Open in Philadelphia along with compatriot Saurav Ghosal (World No 32), is scheduled to participate in the Qatar Open after the championship and has taken time off from a busy professional calender to feature in the five-day long tournament.<br /><br />"We have adjusted the dates to allow Suchde to take part in the championship," tournament director Raj Arora told reporters today.<br /><br />In the absence of the top three women players of the country -- Deepika Pallikal, Joshna Chinnappa and Anaka Alankamony -- Maharashtra junior Saumya Karki leads the seedings followed by Ankita Sharma, Shria Khatri and Shaheeda Madraswala.<br /><br />"Joshna is on rehab after suffering a leg injury in New York. She is taking a break while Deepika is playing in the US Open. Anaka is also absent which makes Saumya the highest ranked player in the women's group," Arora said.<br /><br />Saumya is also seeded No 1 in the under 19 and 17 sections.<br />"The juniors' field is very strong," said Bombay Gymkhana's squash secretary Sudhir Sood.<br /><br />The event is a good tune up for the junior nationals commencing at Jodhpur on October 16, he added.</p>
<p>India No 2, Suchde, however will be pressed hard in the race for top prize of Rs 1.4 lakh by fellow Maharashtrian and second seeded Mahesh Mangaonkar besides facing stiff competition from third seed Gaurav Nandrajog of Delhi and Navy's Vikas Jangra.<br /><br />The World No 69, who slipped in the last qualifying round of the US Open in Philadelphia along with compatriot Saurav Ghosal (World No 32), is scheduled to participate in the Qatar Open after the championship and has taken time off from a busy professional calender to feature in the five-day long tournament.<br /><br />"We have adjusted the dates to allow Suchde to take part in the championship," tournament director Raj Arora told reporters today.<br /><br />In the absence of the top three women players of the country -- Deepika Pallikal, Joshna Chinnappa and Anaka Alankamony -- Maharashtra junior Saumya Karki leads the seedings followed by Ankita Sharma, Shria Khatri and Shaheeda Madraswala.<br /><br />"Joshna is on rehab after suffering a leg injury in New York. She is taking a break while Deepika is playing in the US Open. Anaka is also absent which makes Saumya the highest ranked player in the women's group," Arora said.<br /><br />Saumya is also seeded No 1 in the under 19 and 17 sections.<br />"The juniors' field is very strong," said Bombay Gymkhana's squash secretary Sudhir Sood.<br /><br />The event is a good tune up for the junior nationals commencing at Jodhpur on October 16, he added.</p>