Veer Chotrani Stuns Abhay Singh in Thrilling Comeback at World Squash Championships

Chotrani's Remarkable Victory

Giza [Egypt], May 9: In a thrilling opening round at the 2026 World Squash Championships held in Giza, Egypt, India's Veer Chotrani made a remarkable comeback to defeat fellow Indian Abhay Singh.

Ranked 45th in the world, Chotrani rallied from a 2-1 deficit to triumph over the higher-ranked Abhay, who holds the 22nd position globally, with a score of 3-2 (14-12, 8-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-2) at the Palm Hills Club and PGC Golf Central Mall, as reported by a sports news outlet.

This victory marks Chotrani's second win against Abhay in their three encounters, earning him a spot in the second round where he will face the defending champion and world number one, Mostafa Asal from Egypt.

The match commenced with a tightly contested first game, which Chotrani clinched in a tie-break 14-12, giving him an early lead. However, Abhay, an Asian Games medalist, quickly regained his footing, winning the next two games 11-8 and 11-5.

Facing a challenging situation, Chotrani elevated his game in the fourth round, tightening his grip on the rallies and capitalizing on Abhay's mistakes to equalize with an 11-7 win.

The final game saw Chotrani dominate, finishing decisively with an 11-2 score, showcasing an impressive turnaround.

India has sent a four-member men's team to this year's championships. Alongside Chotrani and Abhay, Ramit Tandon and Velavan Senthilkumar are also competing in Giza.

Velavan Senthilkumar, the current World Cup gold medalist, is set to face France's sixth seed and world number five, Victor Crouin, in his opening match on Saturday. Meanwhile, world number 40 Ramit Tandon will compete against Egypt's Kareem El Torkey in another first-round match.

India continues to seek its first singles medal at the World Squash Championships, with the sport making its Olympic debut at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.