Six Indians in Chennai squash PSA Challenger quarters
Chennai, July 12
Second seed Indian Suraj Chand rallied to beat Kuwait's Ammar Altamimi 6-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 in the men's pre-quarterfinals of the Squash PSA Challenger Tour-Chennai at the Indian Squash Academy on Sunday.
Men's seventh seed Om Semwal and women's third seed Rathika Seelan, fourth seed Sanya Vats, eighth seed Unnati Tripathi and Pooja Arthi Raghu were the other Indians to advance to the quarterfinals.
India had a mixed day in the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament. Om Semwal, Suraj Chand, Unnati Tripathi, Sanya Vats, Pooja Arthi Raghu, and Rathika Seelan all moved on to the quarterfinals in their singles events.
In the men's draw, Om Semwal came back after losing the first game to defeat Sri Lanka's Shamil Wakeel with scores of 7-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-3. Second seed Suraj Chand also rallied to beat Kuwait's Ammar Altamimi, winning 6-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 to secure his spot in the last eight. However, Diwakar Singh lost decisively to Canada's fourth seed Salah Eltorgman, with scores of 11-5, 11-3, 11-2. Ayaan Vaziralli also fell to Malaysia's Wa Sern Low, with a score of 11-8, 11-5, 11-9.
The women's section featured several all-Indian matchups. Eighth seed Unnati Tripathi came back after dropping the first game to defeat Ananya Narayanan, winning 10-12, 11-8, 11-7, 11-4. Fourth seed Sanya Vats won comfortably against Scotland's Lisa Aitken in straight games. Pooja Arthi Raghu caused an upset by beating fifth seed Nirupama Dubey with scores of 11-5, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9. Third seed Rathika Seelan narrowly defeated Anika Dubey in a tough five-game match. Shameena Riaz, on the other hand, lost to Malaysia's Thanusaa Uthrian, despite winning the third game convincingly.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Impressive display from the Indian contingent. It's great to see squash growing in India, especially with young talents like Unnati Tripathi and Sanya Vats stepping up. Hopefully we'll see more international tournaments hosted here.
Mixed day for India but overall positive! Om Semwal's fightback after losing the first game was impressive, and Rathika Seelan winning a tough five-setter shows real character. However, we need to work on our consistency—too many straight-game losses for some players. Still, proud of the progress! 🇮🇳
Chennai once again proving to be a hub for squash in India. The tournament format is great for our players to get international exposure without leaving the country. Wishing all the Indian quarterfinalists the best!
Good to see squash getting attention, but we need more investment in grassroots programs. Only then will we see more players like Suraj Chand at the top level. Also, Diwakar Singh's loss was disappointing—he needs to work on his game against top seeds. Keep pushing, team India! 💪
Thrilled to see six Indians in the quarters! Pooja Arthi Raghu's upset is the standout story—beating the fifth seed is no small feat. The future of Indian squash looks bright with talents like these. Let's hope some of them go all the way and win the title! 🏆
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