Chennai, Oct 31
Arihant K.S. of Tamil Nadu and qualifier Anika Dubey of Maharashtra emerged as the Under-19 boys' and girls' champions respectively in the Sub-Junior & Junior National Squash Championships, which concluded at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai on Friday.
The week-long tournament, showcasing 623 young talents across 10 age categories, saw several thrilling contests, with Arihant and Anika capping it off in style.
Top seed Arihant, who displayed dominant form throughout the competition, defeated second seed Yusha Nafees of Uttar Pradesh 11-8, 12-10, 10-12, 11-5 in a keenly contested final between two of India's brightest junior prospects.
Both players were part of the Indian team that won bronze at the World Junior Team Championships in Egypt earlier this year, and their familiarity was reflected in the high-quality exchanges that kept the Chennai crowd engrossed.
Arihant held his nerve in crucial moments, especially in the second and fourth games, to clinch the title and underline his growing stature in junior squash.
In the girls' Under-19 category, Maharashtra's Anika Dubey, a two-time U-15 national champion, completed a remarkable run by lifting the title after skipping the U-17 category to compete in the senior age group.
Coming through the qualifiers, Anika upset higher-ranked opponents en route to the final before overcoming state-mate Akanksha Gupta 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 in straight games. Her aggressive play and composure under pressure proved decisive as she capped off a dominant campaign with her maiden U-19 national crown.
Among other notable results, Jharkhand's Aadya Budhia retained her U-15 girls' title, defeating Tamil Nadu's Goushika M 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 12-10 in a tightly fought four-game final. In the U-17 girls' category, Delhi's top seed Aradhya Porwal came from a game down to beat Chandigarh's Sehar Nayar 2-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-6.
The U-13 girls' crown went to Rajasthan's Divyanshi Jain, while West Bengal's Alia Kankaria triumphed in the U-11 section. Among boys, Karnataka's Aryan SK, Delhi's Abhyuday Arora, Haryana's Harshal Rana, and Delhi's Aryaveer Dewan took the U-11, U-13, U-15, and U-17 titles, respectively.
Rahul Ramachandran, vice president of the Tamil Nadu Squash Rackets Association, presented the trophies, while SRFI secretary-general Cyrus Poncha lauded the efforts of SAI, MYAS, SDAT, TNSRA, ISA, Dunlop, and the Centre of Sports Science for their support in successfully hosting the championships.
- IANS
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