Indian men, women storm into World Junior Squash Team Championships QF
Ontario, July 29
India's men and women booked their places in the quarterfinals of the World Junior Squash Team Championships with contrasting victories.
The fifth-seeded Indian men's team overcame a spirited challenge from 11th seeds Kuwait to register a 2-1 victory in the pre-quarterfinals, while the women's team completed the group stage in dominant fashion with a comprehensive 3-0 win over South Africa.
The men's team recovered impressively after Yusha Nafees suffered a straight-games defeat to Abdullah Ali in the opening rubber. Aryaveer Dewan restored parity for India with a commanding 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 victory over Khaled Walead Al Fouzain before Gurveer Singh sealed the tie in emphatic style, defeating Abdul Rahman Al Sanea 11-3, 11-3, 11-4.
Reflecting on the hard-fought win, India head coach Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu acknowledged Kuwait's strong start but praised his players' composure under pressure.
"(Kuwait's) Abdullah came out fighting in the opening match and didn't let us settle in the first match, but that's the atmosphere that comes with team squash," India head coach Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu said.
"We were fortunate that our No 1 and No 3 strings were able to come back into the tie, staying focused, and it worked out for us in the end," he added.
India's reward is a quarterfinal clash against England, one of the tournament favourites. Sandhu said his side would draw confidence from recent meetings between the two teams during the individual championships.
Looking ahead, Sandhu said, "England is a very strong team. Some of our boys played them last week in the individual event. So we are ready to go back, plan well and come back strong tomorrow."
The Indian women's team, meanwhile, barely put a foot wrong against South Africa. Rudra Singh gave India the perfect start by defeating Makayla Naidoo 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 before Anahat Singh produced a clinical display to overpower Brianna Robinson 11-1, 11-1, 11-3.
Saanvi Kalanki wrapped up the clean sweep with an equally convincing 11-4, 11-3, 11-3 victory over Vivienne Van Der Schyff, ensuring India advanced to the knockout stage with momentum firmly on their side.
The women will next take on the United States in the quarterfinals as both Indian teams continue their pursuit of medals at the prestigious junior world event.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Anahat Singh continues to shine! 11-1, 11-1, 11-3 is just ruthless. The way she's been playing, she's definitely one to watch for future senior team. Proud moment for Indian squash! 🏆
Good to see India's squash program producing results. The coach's comment about staying focused under pressure shows good mental preparation. But England will be a tough nut to crack - hope the boys have a solid game plan ready. Also, the women's team vs USA should be a cracker!
Only one concern - we need our top players to step up in big matches. Yusha lost in straight games to Kuwait, not ideal. But Aryaveer and Gurveer showed great character to turn it around. Against England, everyone needs to be at their best from the first point. Still, very proud of this performance! 👏
The women's team is on fireee! 🔥 Clean sweep against South Africa - not a single game dropped. Saanvi Kalanki, Rudra Singh, and Anahat all performing so well. This generation of Indian squash players is really something special. Medal hopes are strong! 🌟
Quality coaching and hard work paying off. The way these young players are handling pressure at a world event is commendable. Also great to see multiple players stepping up - not just one or two stars carrying the team. This is how you build a strong squash culture in India.
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