Senthilkumar Stuns World No. 18 Ng to Set Up All-Indian Budapest Open Semifinal

Indian squash player Velavan Senthilkumar produced a sensational upset at the Budapest Open, defeating Malaysian star and world No. 18 Eain Yow Ng to book his place in the semifinals of the PSA Copper event in Hungary.

The eighth-seeded Senthilkumar, ranked 54th in the world, delivered a dominant performance against the tournament's top seed, winning 11-2, 11-9, 11-8 in straight games. The victory was particularly impressive as Senthilkumar overcame a significant rankings gap to knock out one of the highest-ranked players in the competition.

After cruising through the opening game, the Indian faced a tougher challenge in the next two games as Ng attempted to fight his way back into the contest. However, Senthilkumar held his nerve at crucial moments, closing out both games to complete one of the biggest wins of his campaign.

His reward is an all-Indian semifinal clash with Veer Chotrani, ensuring that India will have a representative in the final of the USD 43,500 PSA Copper tournament.

Chotrani, the third seed and world No. 38, also had to battle hard to reach the last four. He defeated Egyptian sixth seed Mohamed Elsherbini, ranked 51st in the world, 14-12, 12-14, 11-6, 11-8 in a competitive quarterfinal encounter.

The two Indians will now face each other for a place in the final, with Senthilkumar carrying the momentum of his stunning straight-games victory over the tournament's top seed.

The semifinal promises to be a significant moment for Indian squash, with Senthilkumar and Chotrani set to battle for a place in the title clash in Budapest.