Age is just a number, and Joshna Chinappa has proved it right. At the age of 39, the squash player claimed her 11th career Professional Squash Association (PSA) title at the Japan Open 2025. The former world No. 10 squash player is back in the world top 100 list.
In the finals game of the PSA Challenger event in Yokohama, the two-time Asian champion defeated world no. 53 player Haya Ali of Egypt by sets of 11-5, 11-9, 6-11, and 11-8.
In the tournament opener match, she first defeated Malaysia’s Anrie Goh by sets of 11-6, 11-6, 11-6, followed by her second-round win against France’s Lauren Baltayan by sets of 11-7, 11-4, 11-9.
Her dominance continued in the quarterfinals, when she first defeated Egypt’s Nardine Garas by sets of 11-8, 15-13, and 11-9 to qualify for the semi-finals. In that round, she won against Egypt’s Rana Ismail by sets of 11-7, 11-1, and 11-5.
For Chinappa, this was her second time facing Haya. The two players previously met at the Bermuda Open 2025 second-round match, where Haya defeated Joshna by 3-2 (in sets of 11-8, 10-12, 5-11, 11-9, and 11-8).
Her other appearance of this season came during the Asian Championships in June, where she paired up with 17-year-old Anahat Singh, who went on to win the women’s doubles title. Later in the Indian Open 2025, Chinappa made it to the semi-finals match but unfortunately lost to Anahat by 3-1 (11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6).
After the Asia Games 2023 in Hangzhou, Chinappa, who was part of the women’s team that won a bronze medal for India, underwent a knee surgery that left her in a hole for some time. She, however, overcame the setback with her determination and love for the sport and madea strong comeback with her latest victory.
Joshna Chinappa on her win
Currently ranked 87th in the world rankings, Chinappa expressed her excitement about the win, which is filled with an emotional comeback to the sport.
She said, “For many years, I’ve been playing only in big tournaments (world events). But obviously, with my ranking being very different today, I had to play these tournaments. The level of competition here was so incredibly high, I knew it was going to be tough. But in the first couple of matches, I found myself feeling good, fit, and healthy. I felt maybe I could really do this.”
