Abhay Singh Stuns Higher-Ranked Rival to Reach First PSA Gold Quarterfinal in Zurich

Zurich — India’s rising squash player Abhay Singh delivered an impressive performance to secure a place in his first-ever PSA Gold-level quarterfinal at the Grasshopper Cup in Zurich, defeating Egypt’s World No. 13 Aly Abou Eleinen.

Ranked World No. 24, Singh showed resilience after trailing 5-8 in the opening game. He fought back to level at 8-8, saved two game points, and eventually clinched the game in a tense tiebreak. Building on that momentum, he held firm in the second game as well, overcoming a late comeback from Eleinen to seal the match 12-10, 11-9, with his backhand proving decisive at crucial moments.

This victory adds to Singh’s growing confidence, having already beaten Eleinen earlier this month at the El Gouna International. Up next, he faces a tough challenge against Egypt’s World No. 4 Karim Gawad for a spot in the semifinals.

Reflecting on his win, Singh said it required “real fight” to recover from a deficit in the first game, crediting his coach James Willstrop for devising an effective strategy.

Earlier in the tournament, Singh defeated Switzerland’s David Bernet in the opening round, while fellow Indian Ramit Tandon exited after a straight-games loss to Egypt’s Fares Dessouky.

In other matches, Spain’s Iker Pajares reached his first Gold-level quarterfinal by defeating Youssef Soliman, while Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller bowed out after losing to World No. 5 Joel Makin.

With inputs from IANS