Indian men enter World Junior Squash team semifinal; women bow out
Ontario, July 30
Fifth-seed Indian men advanced to the second consecutive semi-final of the Squash Junior Team Championships with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over No. 3 seeds England, while the women lost in the quarterfinals to the United States 1-2.
Indian men will meet the United States in the semifinals, who also progressed to the semi-finals after defeating No.8 seeds Japan, as they look to better their bronze medal-winning semifinal finish last year.
Gurveer Singh clinched the decider with a straight-games victory over George Griffiths after Aryaveer Dewan put India ahead before Yusha Nafees lost a five-game thriller to Ismail Khalil.
History was rewritten for France's men's team as they reached the semi-finals of the World Squash Junior Team Championships for the first time in 26 years.
France stole the headlines by beating No.6 seeds Malaysia 2-0 to secure their first World Squash Junior Team Championships semi-final appearance since 2000.
Meanwhile, in the women's draw, the No.3 seeds USA came from behind to defeat India and reach the semi-finals.
India made the stronger start, with No.1 string and reigning World Junior Champion Anahat Singh defeating Diya Yadav in straight games. However, they were unable to build on the early advantage as Charlotte Sze levelled the tie by overcoming Rudra Singh 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 to force a deciding match.
With momentum firmly on the USA's side, No.3 string Lily Bourell sealed her team's place in the final four with a straight-games victory over Anika Dubey. The USA women's team will now face defending champions Egypt, who advanced to the semi-finals with an impressive 3-0 victory over Australia.
Elsewhere, No.2 seeds Hong Kong, China continued their pursuit of the women's World Squash Junior Team Championships title with a convincing victory over hosts Canada.
They will now take on No.4 seeds Malaysia, who reached the final four after overcoming No.6 seeds England.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Sad about the women's team though. Anahat Singh is a world champion but squash is a team sport. The others need to step up. Still, proud of both teams for representing India at this level. 👏
Solid work by the men's team, but we need to look at why the women couldn't build on Anahat's win. The squad depth is worrying. Also, our squash infrastructure needs more investment - other countries are catching up fast.
Incredible journey for our boys! Making back-to-back semifinals in a World Junior Championship is a big achievement. Hope they can go one step further this time and reach the final! 🏆
Great to see Indian squash progressing on the world stage. The men's team beating England shows how much the sport has grown in India. USA will be a tough test though - they have good junior programs.
Disappointing exit for our women's team but let's not forget Anahat Singh is still the world junior champion! This is a learning experience for the younger players. Men's team please bring us glory now! 🤞
Good to see Indian squash making waves internationally. The men's
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