Six Indians Storm Into Quarterfinals of HCL Squash PSA Challenger in Chennai

Indian squash enjoyed a memorable day at the HCL Squash PSA Challenger Tour as six home players booked their places in the quarterfinals , led by a spirited comeback victory from second seed Suraj Chand at the Indian Squash Academy on Sunday.

After dropping the opening game to Kuwait’s Ammar Altamimi , Chand displayed remarkable composure and attacking intent to turn the contest around. The Indian star won 6-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 , sealing his place in the last eight and giving the home crowd plenty to cheer about.

Joining him in the men’s quarterfinals was seventh seed Om Semwal , who recovered from a slow start to defeat Sri Lanka’s Shamil Wakeel 7-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-3 . However, India’s Diwakar Singh and Ayaan Vaziralli bowed out after losing to higher-ranked opponents.

The women’s draw also witnessed an impressive Indian surge. Third seed Rathika Seelan survived a tough five-game battle against Anika Dubey , eventually prevailing 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 10-12, 11-3 . Fourth seed Sanya Vats produced a commanding straight-games win over Scotland’s Lisa Aitken , while eighth seed Unnati Tripathi rallied from a game down to beat Ananya Narayanan .

Unseeded Pooja Arthi Raghu added another highlight for the hosts by upsetting fifth seed Nirupama Dubey in four games, completing a strong Indian representation in the quarterfinal lineup.

With Suraj Chand, Om Semwal, Rathika Seelan, Sanya Vats, Unnati Tripathi, and Pooja Arthi Raghu advancing, Indian squash has firmly stamped its authority on the Chennai tournament and will now look to convert this impressive run into semifinal berths.