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Key Points

Velavan Senthilkumar remains India's last hope in the Asian Squash Championships after a dominant 3-0 win over Japan's Tomotaka Endo. Suraj Chand put up a fight but fell to Malaysia's Ameeshenraj Chandaran in the pre-quarterfinals. Five Indian players, including Akanksha Salunkhe and Shameena Riaz, exited early in the tournament. Anahat Singh will shift focus to the Asian Doubles Squash Championships starting next week.

Key Points: Velavan Senthilkumar Reaches Asian Squash Championships Quarter-Finals

  • Velavan Senthilkumar cruises past Tomotaka Endo in straight sets
  • Suraj Chand loses despite winning first game
  • Five Indian players exit early in tournament
  • Anahat Singh to compete in upcoming Doubles Championships
2 min read

India's Velavan Senthilkumar storms into quarter-finals of Asian Squash Championships

India's Velavan Senthilkumar dominates Japan's Tomotaka Endo 3-0 to advance in Asian Squash Championships as sole Indian contender.

"Velavan Senthilkumar made light work of his Japanese opponent, winning 11-3, 11-1, 11-4. – Olympics.com"

Kuching, June 18

India's Velavan Senthilkumar marched into the quarter-finals of the Asian Squash Championships 2025 after registering a comfortable victory at the Sarawak Squash Centre in Kuching, Malaysia, on Wednesday.

Up against Tomotaka Endo, Velavan Senthilkumar, 45th in the men's singles rankings, made light work of his Japanese squash player, beating him 3-0 (11-3, 11-1, 11-4) in the round of 16 of the men's division, as per Olympics.com.

Velavan Senthilkumar, who is now the only Indian left in the tournament, had beaten the People's Republic of China's Li Haizhen 3-0 (11-1, 11-6, 11-1) in the previous round on Tuesday.

However, world No. 153 Suraj Chand, who beat Athbi Hamad of the United Arab Emirates 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-7) in the previous round, crashed out in the pre-quarterfinals.

Facing world No. 86 Ameeshenraj Chandaran of Malaysia, Suraj Chand put on a fight and won the opening game before losing the match 3-1 (5-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-3).

The opening day of the Asian Squash Championships saw five Indian players across the men's and women's divisions crash out.

After receiving a bye, Pooja Arthi Raghu lost 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-2) against Singapore's Au Yeong Wai Yhann in the second round.

Her compatriots Akanksha Salunkhe and Shameena Riaz also exited in the second round after receiving first-round byes.

World No. 69 Akanksha Salunkhe suffered an upset loss against Malaysia's Whitney Isabelle Wilson, 222nd in the women's singles squash rankings.

Despite starting positively and winning the first game, Akanksha Salunkhe went down 3-2 (5-11, 11-4, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8) against the Malaysian.

Shameena Riaz, 181st in the women's singles rankings, put up a fight but couldn't avoid a 3-1 (5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9) defeat against world No. 105 Akari Midorikawa of Japan.

Diwarkar Singh and Rahul Baitha were also ousted in the round of 32 stage of the men's division.

World No. 308 Diwarkar Singh was beaten 3-0 (11-2, 11-1, 11-3) by second seed Lau Tsz Kwan of Hong Kong China.

Rahul Baitha, 253rd in the squash rankings, also lost 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-5) to world No. 129 Wong Chi Him of Hong Kong China.

India's Anahat Singh is not playing in the singles championship but will be part of the Asian Doubles Squash Championships, which starts next week.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Velavan is making India proud! 🇮🇳 His performance against the Chinese and Japanese players shows how much Indian squash has improved. Hope he brings home the gold this time! #CheerForIndia
P
Priya M.
While Velavan's win is commendable, we need to focus on why other Indian players are struggling. The gap between our top player and others is too big. Sports authorities should invest more in training facilities across India.
A
Arjun S.
That 11-1 score against China's player was just 🔥! Shows our dominance in the sport. But disappointed with women's performance - we need more Sakshi Maliks in squash too!
S
Sunita R.
Heartbreaking to see Akanksha lose after winning the first game. Our players need better mental conditioning to handle pressure situations. Still, proud of all participants for representing India!
V
Vikram J.
Malaysia has become a strong squash nation. Maybe we should have more exchange programs with them? Their players seem to have great technique. Velavan is our only hope now - all the best to him!
N
Neha T.
Why isn't this getting more coverage in Indian media? We always focus only on cricket while our squash players are doing so well internationally. Time to diversify our sports viewership!

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