Western India Squash Slam: India's Anahat, Akanksha sail into semifinals of PSA event

Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): Two-time champion Anahat Singh of India cruised into the semifinals of the women’s event of the 79th Western India Slam, a USD 9,000 prize-money Professional Squash Association (PSA) Challenger event, currently being played at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) courts here on Friday. The 16-year-old Anahat Singh, who recently returned from Hong Kong after helping the Indian women's team finish seventh in the World Squash Team Championship 2024, continued her superb recent form.

Winner of two bronze medals -- in Women's team and mixed doubles -- in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Anahat on Friday defeated eighth seed Anjali Semwal (IND) 11-3, 11-7, and 11-7 in a quarterfinal match. Top seed Akanksha Salunkhe of India also progressed to the semifinals as she defeated Hong Kong’s Sze Wing Wai in three straight games. Akanksha won her match 11-5, 11-4, and 11-3. In the men’s competition, the top two seeds, Viktor Byrtus of the Czech Republic and Malaysian Ameeshenraj Chandaran, advanced to the semifinals. The No.1 seed Byrtus easily defeated seventh seed Hong Kong’s Wailok To 11-6, 11-3, and 11-5, while second seed Ameeshenraj Chandaran got the better of fifth seed Yassin Shohdy of Egypt 11-6, 11-2, and 11-5. India's sixth seed Veer Chotrani and Rowan Damming of the Netherlands too advanced to the semifinals. All the results:

Men (quarterfinals): 2-Ameeshenraj Chandaran (MAS) bt 5-Yassin Shohdy (EGY) 11-6, 11-2, 11-5; 6-Veer Chotrani (IND) bt 3-Ravindu Laksiri (SRI) 11-7, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4; 4-Rowan Damming (NED) bt Rahul Baitha (IND) 11-8, 11-5, 11-13, 11-6; 1-Viktor Byrtus (CZE) bt 7-Wailok To (HKG) 11-6, 11-3, 11-5.

Women (quarterfinals): 2-Anahat Singh (IND) bt 8-Anjali Semwal (IND) 11-3, 11-7, 11-7; 3-Nour Khafagy (EGY) bt 6-Wong Po Yui Kirstie (HKG) 11-8, 11-3, 11-9; 5-Jana Swaify (EGY) bt Bobo Lam (HKG) 4-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-8; 1-Akanksha Salunkhe (IND) bt Sze Wing Wai (HKG) 11-5, 11-4, 11-3.