Joshna Chinappa

Joshna Chinappa (born 15 September 1986) is an Indian professional squash player.

Joshna Chinnappa was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on 15 September 1986.

Her father Anjan Chinappa runs a coffee plantation at Coorg.

Her great granduncle, K.M. Cariappa, who was the first commander-in-chief of the Indian Army in independent India, grandfather, and father were all squash players.

Joshna started playing squash at the age of seven.

When she was eight, she considered whether to pursue badminton or tennis.

Eventually, she chose squash which she started playing at the Madras Cricket Club.

Her father, who represented the Tamil Nadu squash team, was also her first coach.

Joshna was the first beneficiary of the Mittal Champions Trust established by Mahesh Bhupati with funding from Lakshmi Mittal.

In 2000, Joshna won her first junior and senior national championship titles.

She became the youngest player to hold both titles at the age of 14.

In 2003, Joshna made history by winning the British Junior Open title in the U17 category when she was 16.

The next year, she reached the final of the U19 category of the same competition, losing to Egypt's Omneya Abdel Kawy.

She had also played this tournament in 2003, when she reached the last eight.

She was the first Indian to win the British Junior Squash Championship title in 2005 in the under-19 category and was also the youngest Indian women's national champion.

She is the current record-holder of most national championship wins, with 18 titles.

In 2024, she was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri, by the Government of India.

In 2005, she came back to the same tournament again and clinched the title after beating Tenille Swartz of South Africa.

In July 2005, Joshna competed in the World Junior Squash Championships in Belgium, reaching the finals.

She was defeated by Raneem El Weleily of Egypt.

In 2007, Joshna said that she had decided to change coaches from Mohammad Medhaat to Malcolm Willstrop.

Joshna won her first WISPA tour title in 2008 when she won the NSC Super Satellite No 3 in Malaysia, by beating Low Wee Wern.

The following week, she defeated Wern again in the NSC Super Satellite to claim her second tour title.

At this time, she was at her career best PSA World rank of 39.

In 2010, Joshna won the German Ladies Open, beating Gaby Schmohl 11–6, 11–7, 11–6 at Saarbrücken.

This was her fourth tour title and first in Europe.

In 2011, she won the Windy City Open by beating her compatriot Dipika Pallikal 3–2 in the final.

Joshna faced an injury layoff in August while playing in the Hamptons Open.

When she came back after a seven-month break in May 2012, she clinched the WISPA title in the 2012 Chennai Open in her hometown.

Joshna defeated Sarah Jane Perry of England 9–11, 11–4, 11–8, 12–10.

In February, Joshna won the Winter Club Women's Open.

In April, she won the Richmond Open, upsetting Australia's former world champion Rachael Grinham 11–9, 11–5, 11–8.

This was her first win against Rachael in six meetings.

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games Joshna, along with Dipika Pallikal Karthik, won the squash women's doubles gold medal, India's first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in the sport.

She reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 10 in July 2016.

At the 2017 Women's Asian Individual Squash Championships, she won the gold medal, becoming the first Asian Squash Champion from India.

The pair won a silver medal at the event's 2018 Gold Coast edition, losing to team New Zealand, Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy.

Joshna trains at the Indian Squash Academy, Chennai.

In April 2018, Joshna upset Nicol David in the second round, in straight games, of the El Gouna World Series Event.

This was one of her more prominent upsets.