Indian Squash Teams Shine at Asian Doubles Championship in Johor
India's Women’s Doubles Team Advances
In Johor, Malaysia, on June 24, the Indian women's doubles duo of Anahat Singh and Joshna Chinappa secured their spot in the semi-finals of the Asian Squash Doubles Championship held at Arena Emas.
Recognized as the Women’s Challenger Player of the Season for 2024, Anahat Singh and her partner Joshna Chinappa displayed dominance in their quarter-final match, defeating the Philippines' Jemyca Aribado and Yvonne Alyssa Dalida with a score of 2-0 (11-6, 11-3) in a swift 12 minutes, according to reports from Olympics.com.
Another Indian pair, Pooja Arthi Raghu and Rathika Seelan, triumphed over Singapore's Vicky Yue Ying Lai and Gracia Chua Rui En with a score of 2-0 (11-8, 11-9) in their Pool B match, advancing them to the quarter-finals.
Unfortunately, they faced a setback in the quarter-finals, losing 2-0 (11-7, 11-8) to Malaysia's Ainaa Amani and Yee Xin Ying. They will now participate in placement matches to determine their final ranking between fifth and eighth in the women's doubles.
Men’s Doubles Update
In the men's doubles category, defending champions Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar had to overcome an initial setback to reach the semi-finals.
Facing Minwoo Lee and Jooyoung Na from the Republic of Korea in the quarter-finals, the Indian duo rallied back to secure a 2-1 (10-11, 11-3, 11-5) victory.
Conversely, Ravi Dixit and Guhan Senthilkumar were unable to advance to the quarter-finals after losing their final Pool C match 2-0 (11-6, 11-8) against Hong Kong China's Cheuk Nam Lai and Wailok To.
They also fell short in the placement round, losing 2-1 (7-11, 11-7, 11-10) to Singapore's Boon Hwi Edward Thng and Yew Sing Timothy Leong, which determined their ranking between ninth and sixteenth.
Mixed Doubles Teams Progress
Both of India's mixed doubles teams received byes in the round of 12, advancing directly to the quarter-finals scheduled for Wednesday.
Asian Games bronze medallists and top seeds Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh will compete against the Philippines' Jemyca Aribado and David William Pelino in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar are set to face Asian Games medallists Aira Azman and Joachim Chuah from Malaysia in the mixed doubles quarter-finals.