Abhay-Velavan bag their third successive Asian Doubles Squash title
Sarawak, June 21
India's Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar won the men's crown for a third consecutive year at the Asian Doubles Squash Championships on Sunday, as India finished with medals across all three categories.
Abhay-Velavan, the top seed, rallied to beat Pakistan second seed Nasir Iqbal and Noor Zaman in a repeat of last year's final, 7-11, 11-7, 11-2, in 47 minutes to extend their supremacy in the continental meet.
Following a slow start, Abhay and Velavan raised their game in the second, creating openings to the front and back corners with a combination of attacking squash and excellent touch and control for a blazing finish.
The India duo produced two commanding performances to book their place in Sunday's summit clash against Pakistan's second-seeded duo. They began by overcoming Japan's Naoki Hayashi and Ren Makino 11-3, 10-12, 11-5 in a hard-fought quarter-final before raising their level in the last four to defeat Malaysia's Sanjay Jeeva and Duncan Lee 11-7, 11-9.
Women's doubles second seed Joshna Chinappa and Rathika Seelan and the mixed pair of Joshna and Velavan, also second seed, took bronze for their semi-final finishes on the penultimate day.
Second seeds Joshna and Rathika were unable to get past Malaysian top seeds Ainaa Amani and Yee Xin Ying, losing 9-11, 7-11 to settle for bronze. In the mixed double, Joshna and Velavan pushed Malaysia's Ainaa Amani and Md Kamal before going down 8-11, 11-8, 8-11 in a closely contested semi-final and finished third.
India's other men's doubles pairing of Rahul Baitha and Suraj Chand failed to progress after suffering their second defeat in Pool B, losing to Pakistan's Nasir Iqbal and Noor Zaman, while the other women's pair of Janet Vidhi and Pooja Arthi finished in sixth place.
— IANS
Reader Comments
So proud of our players! Joshna Chinappa continues to be a stalwart for Indian squash - three medals across categories is amazing. But really wish the women's doubles and mixed doubles could have converted those semis into golds. Close matches, but we need to work on finishing strong. Still, great showing overall! 👏
Excellent to see India dominating Asian squash. But I feel we need more depth - only one men's pair in the final and the other pair couldn't even get out of pools. The government and sports bodies should invest more in grassroots squash. We have talent but we need infrastructure and coaches. Just my honest observation.
As someone who follows squash internationally, this is a seriously impressive achievement. Pakistan has a strong squash tradition, so beating them in a final on their "home" continent (Malaysia is neutral but still Asia) shows India's rising stock. The 11-2 final set scoreline tells you everything about their dominance once they settled. Well done!
Seriously? Three titles in a row? Abhay-Velavan have become the kings of Asian doubles! 🚀 And Joshna showing her class as usual. Indian sports is having a golden period across disciplines. Just hope our squash players get more visibility and sponsorship like cricket players do. These athletes deserve way more recognition!
What a turnaround in that final! Lost the first set 7-11, then came back to win 11-7 and 11-2. That's the mark of champions - mental toughness. India is really building a squash powerhouse. The Pakistani pair must be gutted, but credit to Abhay and Velavan for being clutch when it mattered most.
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