Velavan Senthilkumar Clinches Title at Czech Open Squash Tournament
Velavan Senthilkumar Triumphs at Czech Open
File image of Velavan Senthilkumar(Photo: @ians_india/X)
Brno, Nov 3: Indian squash athlete Velavan Senthilkumar has added another prestigious title to his achievements by defeating Scotland's top seed Greg Lobban in the final of the USD 35,000 Czech Open, a PSA Copper-level event.
The fourth-seeded player, currently ranked 42nd globally, triumphed over world No. 31 Lobban with scores of 13-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7, marking his 12th title on the PSA Tour and his second at the Copper level. This victory follows his first title in this category, which he secured at the Budapest Open in August.
Senthilkumar faced a tough path to the championship, starting with a second-round win against Brazil's Diego Gobbi, followed by a quarterfinal victory over eighth seed Jeremias Azana from Argentina with scores of 11-3, 11-8, 11-7.
He continued his strong performance into the semifinals, where he dominated France's Auguste Dussourd, winning 11-7, 12-10, 11-1 to secure his spot in the final.
Lobban reached the final after defeating French player Toufik Mekhalfi in straight games, setting up a clash between the top seed and the fourth seed.
The final was a challenging match for Senthilkumar, especially in the first game, which was closely contested. He managed to win it 13-11 and then took control in the second game, winning 11-5. Although Lobban fought back to win the third game 11-8, Senthilkumar regained his focus and closed the match with an 11-7 victory, securing the championship.
This win at the Czech Open adds to a successful period for Senthilkumar, who also performed well at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, where he earned two bronze medals in the mixed team event with Joshna Chinappa and as part of the men's team.
The men's team reached the semifinals but lost 2-1 to Malaysia.
Earlier in August, Senthilkumar made history at the Budapest Open by defeating Hungary's Balazs Farkas to claim his first PSA Copper-level title. His recent success highlights his growing consistency on the PSA Tour as he prepares for the sport's Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
In other news, Indian players had a tough time at the USD 241,000 US Open, a PSA Platinum event in Philadelphia. World No. 1 and top seed Mostafa Asal from Egypt defeated Abhay Singh 11-3, 11-1, 11-7 in the first round and then went on to beat another Indian, Veer Chotrani, 11-1, 11-6, 11-4 in the second round.