Asian Junior Squash C'ships: Dhairya stuns Hong Kong's Tse Ka Chun on opening day
Panzhihua, May 20
India's junior squash contingent began the 33rd Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in Panzhihua, China, with a series of dominant performances, highlighted by a stunning upset from Dhairya Gogia in the boys' U-13 category.
Gogia, unseeded, overcame Hong Kong's 5/8 seed Tse Ka Chun in a thrilling four-game battle, prevailing 12-10, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7 in the first round on Wednesday. His victory set the tone for an impressive day for the Indian squad across multiple age groups.
In the U-13 boys' draw, Amarya Bajaj maintained his strong form, winning against Macau's Chau Hyo Chon with scores of 11-1, 11-1, 11-5. Abhyuday Arora also edged out Sri Lanka's Danuja Jayasinghe with scores of 11-5, 11-4, 11-1. On the girls' side, Riyaa Dalal defeated Sri Lanka's Dheerya Mithali Silva with set scores of 11-0, 11-6, 11-7. Meanwhile, the 5/8 seed Alia Kankaria beat Korea's Eun Choi, winning 11-4, 11-6, 11-5.
Indian players also performed well in the U-15 category. Dhruv Johri comfortably defeated Sri Lanka's Disas Subasinghe with scores of 11-3, 11-5, 11-3. Meanwhile, Vedant Agarwal narrowly lost a five-set match to Singapore's Jackrish Kumar Sashikumar, with scores of 10-12, 11-9, 11-13, 11-5, 11-3.
In the U-17 division, Hridhaan Shah, Lokesh Subramani, Shiven Agarwal, and Raghav Vashishta achieved straight-game wins or victories in four games against competitors from China, Hong Kong, and Macau. On the girls' side, Saanvi Kalanki, Riyansika Verma, and Diva Shah upheld India's unbeaten record with impressive wins over their respective opponents.
The U-19 girls' category also demonstrated impressive performances. Unnati Tripathi progressed following Li Shiqi's retirement mid-match, while Akanksha Gupta, Vyomika Khandelwal, and Eesha Shrivastava all achieved straight-game victories against opponents from Japan, Korea, and China.
India's depth across different age groups was showcased on the opening day, sending a powerful signal to their Asian competitors as the four-day event progresses.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Fantastic performance by Riyaa Dalal - winning 11-0 in the first set shows real dominance. And Alia Kankaria as a seeded player delivering as expected. Our girls are really making us proud 🙌
Great to see Indian squash progressing. But we need more infrastructure and coaching support at grassroots level. These kids are talented but imagine what they could achieve with better facilities back home. Still, proud of the team! 🇮🇳
Impressive showing from India! Dhairya's win over a seeded player is the standout result. The U-17 boys and girls also looking strong. Asian championships are always competitive, good luck for the rest of the tournament.
So heartwarming to see these young champions! Amarya Bajaj winning 11-1, 11-1 shows serious focus. And Unnati Tripathi progressing despite opponent's retirement. Wishing all the best for the next rounds! 🎯
These results are amazing but Vedant Agarwal's narrow 5-set loss shows we still have work to do in close matches. That said, dominating across age groups is no small feat. Our squash federation deserves credit for developing this talent pipeline.
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