Mumbai, March 27 (HS): In an exciting competition held at the Bombay Gymkhana on Wednesday, Anahat Singh, Joshna Chinappa, and Abhay Singh showcased brilliant performances to secure their places in the semi-finals of the JSW Indian Open. This is India’s first PSA Copper tournament, and it featured a unique twist as the matches were played on an outdoor glass court set up on the lawn of the Bombay Gymkhana. The semi-finals and finals will also take place on this court.

India's number one squash player, Anahat Singh, who is supported by JSW, received a thunderous cheer from the audience as she took to the court for her quarter-final match against Egypt's Nadine El Hammamy. Anahat made a great start, dominating the first game completely. However, El Hammamy made a strong comeback, winning the second game by taking it to a tie-break. She then won the third game as well, taking a 2-1 lead in the match. Nonetheless, with the support of the home crowd, Anahat won the fourth game, leveling the score at 2-2. The decisive game saw a fierce contest between the two players, but the 17-year-old Anahat displayed excellent play under pressure, ultimately winning the thrilling match and advancing to the semi-finals.

Joshna Chinappa faced top seed Akanksha Salunkhe in the evening session. Both Indian players understood each other's game well and put up a tough contest. Chinappa won the first two games by very close margins, but Salunkhe made a remarkable comeback, taking two games to level the match. In this thrilling contest, which lasted for 56 minutes, Chinappa finally secured a 3-2 (12-10, 13-11, 9-11, 9-11, 11-5) victory, earning her place in the semi-finals.

In the men's category, India’s Abhay Singh displayed excellent play against Malaysia's Ameshenraj Chandran. Continuing his brilliant form, Abhay maintained control of the match from the start and gave his opponent no chance. He won in just 34 minutes with a score of 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-7), advancing to the semi-finals.

In the last quarter-final of the day, India’s Veer Chothrani faced Egypt's Karim El Torky. Despite Veer’s hard work, he could not withstand Karim's pressure and lost 0-3 (11-4, 11-8, 11-5) in 27 minutes, exiting the tournament.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar