India’s Junior Squash Teams Reach World Championship Quarterfinals After Impressive Wins

Ontario — India’s men’s and women’s teams advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Junior Squash Team Championships after producing strong performances in their respective matches.

The fifth-seeded Indian men’s team battled past 11th seeds Kuwait 2-1 in a closely fought pre-quarterfinal encounter, while the women’s side maintained their unbeaten run with a commanding 3-0 victory over South Africa in the group stage.

The men’s team faced early pressure after Yusha Nafees lost the opening match in straight games to Abdullah Ali. However, India quickly bounced back as Aryaveer Dewan levelled the tie with a dominant 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 win over Khaled Walead Al Fouzain.

Gurveer Singh then delivered a decisive performance, defeating Abdul Rahman Al Sanea 11-3, 11-3, 11-4 to secure India’s place in the last eight.

India head coach Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu praised his players for staying calm under pressure after Kuwait made a strong start.

“Abdullah came out fighting in the opening match and didn’t allow us to settle early, but that is the intensity and atmosphere that comes with team squash,” Sandhu said.

He added that India’s top and third players showed great composure to turn the tie around and secure the victory.

India will now face tournament favourites England in the quarterfinals. Sandhu said the team would take confidence from their recent encounters with the English players during the individual championships.

“England is a very strong team. Some of our boys played against them last week in the individual event. We will prepare well, make our plans and come back stronger,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team continued their impressive campaign with a flawless 3-0 win over South Africa.

Rudra Singh set the tone for India by defeating Makayla Naidoo 11-4, 11-5, 11-3. Rising star Anahat Singh followed with a commanding 11-1, 11-1, 11-3 victory against Brianna Robinson.

Saanvi Kalanki completed the clean sweep by beating Vivienne Van Der Schyff 11-4, 11-3, 11-3, helping India enter the knockout stage with strong momentum.

The Indian women will meet the United States in the quarterfinals, while both Indian teams continue their campaign for medals at the prestigious junior world championship.

With inputs from IANS