Indian Open squash: Anahat, Joshna, Abhay lead charge into semis
Mumbai: The country’s top squash talent, Anahat Singh, Joshna Chinappa and Abhay Singh lit up the evening sky at the Bombay Gymkhana on their way to securing semifinal spots in the Indian Open, here on Wednesday.
The JSW Indian Open 2025 is India’s first-ever PSA Copper event, and there was a unique twist, as the tournament moved to an outdoor glass court on the lawns of the Bombay Gymkhana. The semifinals and the finals will also be played on the outdoor glass court.
India’s No. 1 Anahat Singh, who is supported by JSW, received one of the loudest cheers when she entered the glass court for her match against the Egyptian Nadien Elhammamy.
Whilst Anahat started brilliantly and had her opponent on the ropes in the first set, Elhammamy fought back in the second, dragging it to a tie-breaker before clinching the set. The Egyptian used her momentum wisely and picked up the next set as well, to lead the contest 2-1. But that’s when the home fans cranked up the volume, and buoyed by the support Anahat picked up crucial points to bring it to level pegging at 2-2.
The final set had everyone on the edge of their seats with both players going toe to toe. Elhammamy threatened to snatch the win in the final moments of the contest as she ran Anahat close, but the 17-year-old Indian held her nerve and sealed a semi-final berth.
One of India’s most experienced players, Joshna Chinappa was the first one out on the glass court in the evening session, and she was up against the top seed Akanksha Salunkhe. The two Indian players, who know each other’s game very well, matched each other shot for shot put in an entertaining contest for the fans.
Joshna won a couple of very close sets to start with before Akanksha bounced back with two sets of her own to take the game into the decider. The match which was on a knife’s edge for most of the duration lasted 56 minutes with Chinappa edging out her opponent with a scoreline of 3-2 (12-10, 13-11, 9-11, 9-11, 11-5).
Also in action was India’s Abhay Singh in the men’s draw, and he had the Malaysian Ameeshenraj Chandaran standing in his way. The Indian, who has been in good form through the course of the JSW Indian Open, continued to show off his class, as he kept the Malaysian at bay.
Abhay never really let his opponent settle down, as he romped over the line and into the semi-finals with a 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-7) in 34 minutes.
In the final match of the quarterfinal phase of the tournament, Veer Chotrani was playing the Egyptian Kareem El Torkey. However, despite his best efforts, Veer could not progress to the semifinal and lost against El Torkey in 27 minutes. The Egyptian won with a scoreline of 0-3 (11-4, 11-8, 11-5).
Other Results
[4] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt. [8] Spencer Lovejoy (USA) 3-0: 11-4, 11-7, 11-7 (34m)
Helen Tang (HKG) bt. [2] Habiba Hani (EGY) 3-1: 11-9, 11-7, 4-11, 11-6 (33m)
[3] Karim El Hammamy (EGY) bt. [7] Moustafa Elsirty (EGY) 3-2: 11-6, 6-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-4 (90m)
[8] Barb Sameh (EGY) bt. [4] Ching Hei Fung (HKG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-6, 11-1 (25m)
