Abhay Singh Shocks World No. 13 to Reach Quarterfinals at Grasshopper Cup
Abhay Singh's Remarkable Victory
File image of the Indian veteran player Abhay Singh(Photo: X)
Zurich, April 24: Indian squash player Abhay Singh achieved a stunning upset against Egypt's Aly Abou Eleinen, ranked 13th in the world, to secure his spot in the quarterfinals of the PSA Gold-level Grasshopper Cup.
Initially trailing 8-5 in the first game, Singh rallied to equalize at 8-8, saving two game balls from Eleinen before clinching the game in a tiebreak.
Having previously defeated Eleinen 3-2 at the El Gouna International earlier this month, Singh faced a challenge in the second game when Eleinen came back from a 7-3 deficit to level the score. However, Singh's powerful backhand proved decisive as he won the game 12-10, 11-9.
Next, Singh will compete against world No. 4 Karim Gawad for a chance to advance to the semifinals.
“What a match!” Singh exclaimed after his victory, as reported by PSA Tour. “I had to dig deep in both games to overcome the deficit in the first. It felt like déjà vu from my previous match with him in El Gouna. I owe credit to Jimbo (James Willstrop) for devising a solid strategy, which helped me turn the tide.”
In the opening round, Singh had previously defeated Swiss player David Bernet with scores of 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, while his fellow countryman Ramit Tandon was eliminated by Egypt’s Fares Dessouky with scores of 6-11, 9-11.
In other matches, Iker Pajares advanced to the quarterfinals of a Gold-level event for the first time by defeating No. 6 seed Youssef Soliman. Pajares, who has previously reached the last eight in Platinum events, showcased an impressive performance against Soliman, winning in straight games after eliminating Swiss No. 1 Dimitri Steinmann in the first round.
Home hopes were dashed when 14-time Swiss national champion Nicolas Mueller was defeated by Joel Makin, marking the end of the Swiss challenge after six players exited in the first round. Mueller lost 2-0 to the World No. 5.
Additionally, former World Champion Karim Gawad triumphed over Auguste Dussourd with a 2-0 victory.