Indian men sign off with bronze from World Squash Junior team competition
Ontario, July Indian men registered a second successive bronze medal finish at the World Squash Junior Team Championships after losing 0-2 to the United States in the semifinals, a day after the women's team went down to their American counterparts in the quarterfinals.
Gurveer Singh was edged by Brendan Tagliarini 7-11, 12-10, 9-11, 7-11 in a close opening match, while No. 1 string Aryaveer Dewan lost to Yaseen Shalaby 5-11, 7-11, 5-11.
This is the first time an Indian team has won back-to-back medals at the world junior team competition.
The opening match saw Tagliarini, who was celebrating his 17th birthday, battle back from 2-1 down against Gurveer to give the USA the early lead, winning 11-7, 9-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-3.
With momentum firmly in the USA's favour, No.1 string Shalaby made a fast start in the second match, sealing both the tie and a place in the final with a 3-0 victory over Aryaveer.
"I fought as hard as I could and he pushed me to play my best. I just kept telling myself that I could do it and my coach 'Nicky T' (Nick Taylor) helped push me through it! It feels amazing to clutch it for the team!" said Tagliarini after the match.
And with Shalaby sealing the tie for the USA, he said, "It's amazing, India's a tough opponent and they upset England yesterday and they have what it takes to show why they're one of the best.
"I just want to say I'm so happy to have this victory with my teammates and friends, as it wouldn't be possible without them, we all support each other and are a really good team."
The USA will now face Egypt in the men's final, a repeat of the 2025 final in Cairo, Egypt. The defending champions were forced to battle hard against France, who refused to make it easy at any point in the tie.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Great effort by the team! The semifinal loss to USA is disappointing, but winning consecutive medals at the world stage shows our squash program is on the right track. The future looks bright for Indian squash.
Well fought, lads! Bronze is bronze, and beating England on the way shows the team's potential. Hope the federation invests more in junior development so we can challenge for gold soon. 👏
Honestly, the opening match by Gurveer was so close! He had the momentum but Tagliarini played really well on his birthday. Still, proud of our boys for bringing home back-to-back medals. This is just the beginning!
Good performance but we need to look at why our No.1 string lost so easily. 5-11, 7-11, 5-11 in the semifinal is concerning. Need better preparation against top-ranked opponents. Still, congrats to the team on the bronze! 🏆
Congratulations to the Indian team on another bronze! The back-to-back medals show real progress in Indian squash. The match against England was impressive, and I'm sure we'll see even better results in the coming years.
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