Mixed day for India at World Jr. squash

Newly-crowned Asian Junior champion Anaka Alankamony registered an easy second round victory on a day which otherwise witnessed mixed fortunes for India at the World Junior men and women individual Squash Championships in Doha.

Alankamony, who got a bye in the first round, beat Oxanne Ah Hu of France 11-3, 11-2, 11-1 to storm into the third round of the women's singles event where she will meet Hong Kong's Ho Ka Po.

Aparajitha Balamurukan, who also got a bye in the first round, won a hard-fought five-set battle against Colombia's Laura Viviana Tovar Perez.

The 9-16th seeded Indian overcame a stiff challenge from Perez 14-12, 9-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-9 to book her berth in Round 3 of the tournament where she will face Egypt's Mariam Metwally.

In the men's singles event, Mahesh Mangaonkar saw off Canada's Zac Leman's 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 while Abhishek Pradhan and Vrishab Kotian also continued the winning momentum.

Pradhan brushed aside the challenge of Manuel Wanner of Switzerland 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 while Kotian put paid to the hopes of Zimbabwe's Faisal Hassan 11-7, 11-6, 14-12.

In the third round, Mangaonkar will meet England's Matthew Sidaway while Pradhan will lock horns with Colombia's Juan Camilo Varagas and Kotian faces Egyptian Mohamed Abouelghar.

Among others in the fray, Deepak Mishra fought gallantly before going down to England's Richie Fallows 2-11, 9-11, 10-12, while Vivek Dinodia was also ousted by Japan's Ryosei Kobayashi 3-11, 1-11, 11-5, 7-11 in the second round of the men's event.

It was also curtains for Lakshya Ragavendran and Harshit Kaur Jawanda in the women's second round. Ragavendran went down fighting to France's Julia Le Coq 6-11, 1-11, 11-8, 11-13, while Jawanda lost to higher-ranked French Melissa Alves 11-5, 9-11, 6-11, 9-11.