Anahat, Aryaveer advance to round-of-16 in World Junior squash
Ontario, July 22
India's Anahat Singh and Aryaveer Dewan advanced to the round-of-16 at the World Squash Junior Individual Championships.
Women's top seed Anahat, who is hoping to become India's first-ever junior world champion, brushed aside Hong Kong's Pui Yin Chole Lo in straight games in the round-of-32, and will next meet Malaysian 13/16 seed Doyce Ye San Lee.
Aryaveer, seeded 5/8, eased past South African Joseph Feast in straight games in the round-of-32, and will take on American 9/12 seed Yaseen Shalaby next.
Meanwhile, Gurveer Singh, Yusha Nafees, Saanvi Kalanki, Rudra Singh and Anika Dubey lost to higher-seeded opponents.
Among the drama from Day 2 action, it was Brazil's Laura Silva, who stole the show, as she staged an incredible comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2, booking her place in the last 16.
The Brazilian wasn't the only player to survive a second-round scare, as Malaysia's Harleein Tan came back from 2-1 down against Canada's Wing Kai Gladys Ho to progress into the next round.
Meanwhile, England's Dylan Roberts progressed after a win against Malaysia's Ivan Jia Yu Chang, and Hong Kong, China's Helen Tang also secured a place in the last 16 after beating Australia's Sarbani Maitra in three games, 11-6, 11-3, 11-3.
Elsewhere, Pakistan's Nauman Khan beat England's Gabriel Chak 3-1; Malaysia's Doyce Ye San Lee reached the last 16 after beating the Netherlands' Renske Huntelaar; Mohammed Alnasfan of Saudi Arabia progressed after a straight-game victory over Japan's Shunsaku Kariyazono; Egypt's Habiba Rizk moved into the last 16 with a win over France's Leelou Laporte; Belgium's Savannah Moxham progressed after a win against India's Saanvi Kalanki.
Results (Round of 32):
Men: 5/8-Aryaveer Dewan bt Joseph Feast (RSA) 11-4, 11-3, 11-3; 2-Adam Hawal (Egy) bt Gurveer Singh 11-6, 11-8, 11-3; 5/8-Nickhileswar Moganasundharam (Mas) bt Yusha Nafees 11-9, 11-7, 11-8.
Women: 5/8-Savannah Moxham (Bel) bt Saanvi Kalanki 11-7, 11-4, 11-2; 3/4-Barb Sameh (Egy) bt Rudra Singh 11-5, 11-6, 11-1; Tsz Ching Cheung (HK) bt Anika Dubey 11-6, 11-7, 11-5; 1-Anahat Singh bt Pui Yin Chole Lo (HK) 11-3, 11-1, 11-3.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Great to see two Indians in the last 16, but we need to think about the others too. Only 2 out of 7 made it through — that's a 28% success rate. Our depth in junior squash still needs work. Good luck to Anahat and Aryaveer though!
Anahat is a genuine medal hope for India. The way she dominated that Hong Kong player, pure class. And Aryaveer also looking solid. Indian squash is on the rise, yaar! 🇮🇳💪
Disappointed to see Rudra Singh and Anika Dubey lose, but this is a learning experience. The Egyptian girls are world-class, so no shame. These youngsters will come back stronger. Big shout-out to the coaching staff back home! 🙏
Anahat Singh is the real deal — a top seed dominating like a true champion. But look at Brazil's Laura Silva staging that 2-0 comeback. That's the kind of grit we need to see more from Indian players in tight matches. Great tournament overall!
So proud of Anahat and Aryaveer! After years of watching squash from the sidelines, we finally have genuine contenders at world level. The future is bright for Indian racquet sports — badminton, tennis, now squash. Let's go! 🏆
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