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Chotrani Stuns World No. 19 Masotti in Epic Washington Squash Thriller

Indian squash player Veer Chotrani scored a major upset by defeating world No. 19 and fourth seed Baptiste Masotti in a thrilling five-game match at the Squash on Fire Open in Washington. The world No. 49 staged another comeback victory, saving five match points in a tense fifth game to secure his quarterfinal spot. He will now face England's sixth seed Declan James for a place in the semifinals. In the women's draw, seventh seed Anahat Singh also advanced to the quarterfinals with a four-game win over Hayley Ward.

Key Points: Indian Squash: Chotrani Upsets Masotti, Reaches Washington Quarters

  • Chotrani's second straight comeback win
  • Upsets world No. 19 Masotti
  • Faces Declan James in quarters
  • Anahat Singh advances in women's draw
2 min read

Chotrani, Anahat in Washington squash quarters; Senthilkumar bows out

Veer Chotrani stuns world No. 19 Baptiste Masotti in a five-game epic at the Squash on Fire Open. Anahat Singh also advances to the quarters.

"clinging on in a tension-filled fifth game, in which he saw five match balls come and go from 10-4 up - Report"

Washington, Jan 30

Veer Chotrani stunned the French world No. 19 Baptiste Masotti in a five-game thriller in the round of 16 at the Squash on Fire Open in Washington, while compatriot Velavan Senthilkumar went down to Mexican world No. 11 and second seed Leonel Cardenas in five games.

World No. 49 Chotrani staged a second straight comeback to sink No. 4 seed Masotti 11-6, 7-11, 8-11, 11-1, 11-9. and will meet sixth seed Declan James of England in the quarterfinals of the PSA Bronze-level event.

Chotrani had recovered from 2-1, 8-2 down to beat Balazs Farkas in round one, and once again needed all five games to beat France's Masotti 24 hours later, clinging on in a tension-filled fifth game, in which he saw five match balls come and go from 10-4 up before taking the sixth with a smart backhand drop at 10-9.

Chotrani will now face Declan James, who himself had to fight back from 2-0 down to win in five against Muhammad Asim Khan, closing out a 72-minute duel 11-7 in the fifth.

That wasn't even the end of the five-gamers in the afternoon session, as No. 2 seed Cardenas came out on top of another epic against Senthilkumar.

For much of their 64-minute encounter it looked as though the Indian southpaw might cause a sizable upset, but Cardenas came up clutch in the closing stages, most notably on a sensational match ball, when he showed some remarkable retrieval skills to keep a 26-shot rally alive before flicking a forehand winner down the line.

In the women's section, seventh seed Anahat Singh beat Hayley Ward (RSA) 11-5, 11-8, 12-14, 11-5 in the second round. She will take on Egyptian second seed Sana Ibrahim in the quarterfinals.

In another entertaining battle, top seed Mohamed Elshorbagy beat rising star Noor Zaman after a hard-fought fourth-game tiebreak.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
So proud of Anahat Singh as well! She's moving through steadily. Tough match against the Egyptian seed next, but she has the game for it. Great to see both men and women representing us on the global stage.
V
Vikram M
Heartbreak for Velavan Senthilkumar. He played so well against a top-11 player and took it to five games. That match point retrieval by Cardenas sounded unbelievable. He can hold his head high. Onwards and upwards!
R
Rohit P
These performances deserve more coverage in our sports news. We always talk cricket, but look at the grit shown here! PSA Bronze event is a big deal. Hope they get the support and sponsorship they need.
S
Sarah B
As a squash fan, this is thrilling to read. The depth in Indian squash is really improving. Chotrani's backhand drop on match ball must have been a thing of beauty. Best of luck in the quarters!
N
Nikhil C
Respectfully, while the wins are great, we need to be consistent. Beating a top seed is one thing, but can we back it up and win the tournament? That's the next step for Indian squash. Let's see if Chotrani can go all the way.

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