Aryaveer Dewan will lead India's challenge at the Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in Panzhihua, China, with a 32-member contingent aiming to surpass their previous medal haul.
Anika Dubey from Pune, Akanksha Gupta from Thane, and Vasundhara Nangare from Kalamb -- three girls from different corners of Maharashtra have cleared the SRFI Selection Round for the 33rd Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships to be held in China.
The Indian boys had won the title for the second time, having won in 2011 after defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in Colombo.
Anaka Alankamony bagged India's lone gold medal at the Asian Junior Squash championship, while Dipika Pallikal and Mahesh Mangaonkar settled for silver after losing their respective finals in Busan on Sunday. Anaka, the top seeded Indian, beat Hong Kong's Ho Ka Po 9-6, 9-6, 9-5 in the girls under-15 category final to clinch her eighth international title.
Indian boys prevailed over Hong Kong 2-1 while the girls team outclassed Malaysia 3-0 to enter the finals of the 16th Asian Junior Squash Championship, in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday.
The teenager, trained under coach Abhinav Sinha at the Chance2Sports Foundation in Pune, defeated players older and more experienced than her throughout the competition. Sharing how she prepared mentally for the challenge, Anika credited her planning and composure.
Third seed India entered the World Junior Women's Squash Championships' team semi-finals after thrashing England 2-0 in Cairo, Egypt.
Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh have been recognised as the Asian Squash Federation's outstanding players of the year, while the Indian boys team received the men's team award.
India pulled out of the Women's World Team Squash Championship scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from December 15 to 20 due to "lack of preparation time" and "uncertainties" about travelling amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the first time two Indians will contest the final of an Asian squash event.
'It was a tough field, and I was nervous going in.' 'But once I stepped onto the court, I focused only on giving my best.'
The Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) sought world body's intervention after it failed to secure visas for its team which is set to take part in the World Junior Squash Championship to be held in India next month.
Aiming for that elusive singles Commonwealth Games medal Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa will make one last-ditch effort to break the jinx in Birmingham.
Newly-crowned Asian Junior champion Anaka Alankamony registered an easy second round victory at the World Junior men and women individual Squash Championships in Doha.
They scored contrasting victories in the quarter-finals of the Asian Junior squash championships.
The top seeded Indian will meet Delia Arnold of Malaysia next in the Asian Junior squash tournament.
World junior number one Dipika Pallikal and third seed Saurav Ghosal kept alive Indian hopes sailing into the women's and men's semi-inals respectively in the 15th Asian Squash Championship in Chennai on Sunday.
Will continue to play for India in multi disciplinary events
The Pakistan Wrestling Federation on Tuesday claimed that its national team has been denied visa by the Indian High Commission for the upcoming Asian Championship scheduled to be held in New Delhi from May 10-14.
Joshna Chinappa continues to push boundaries despite being on the wrong side of 30s
Anahat Singh finished runner-up at the NSW Squash Bega Open 2025 after an ankle injury forced the youngster to retire midway during the final on Sunday.
India's challenge at the 2010 Australian Open Squash Championship came to a premature end on Wednesday after unseeded Dipika Pallikal bowed out in the first round of the tournament in Canberra.
India's challenge at the Malaysian Open Squash championship came to a premature end after qualifiers Dipika Pallikal and Siddharth Suchde bowed out in the first round of the tournament in Kuala Lumpur.
Anahat Singh seals berth for World Junior Squash C'ship after topping selection trials
'Terrorism and sports can't go along and Pakistan should understand that'
Dipika Pallikal's exclusion from the Indian team for Asian Squash Championships may have kicked up a storm, but national coach Cyrus Poncha said the British Junior Open champion has only herself to blame for the omission by refusing to attend a mandatory trial camp.
Top-seed Anahat Singh went down 2-3 to Egyptian second seed Nadien Elhammamy in the Girls' Under-17 category final.
A miffed WFI feared that it could be penalised by the world body United World Wrestling (UWW), if Pakistani grapplers were denied Visa.
The eight players picked for the Asian Games have been training without a full-time coach and most of them don't train regularly with Kumari and Poncha, who has been a longtime national coach.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
'While in Chennai, I play alone. It gets lonely at times because you wish for someone to play with you,' says Joshna Chinnappa, India's number one squash player.
While Tomar informed only about Pakistan's participation, the PTI has learnt that clearance has been put on hold also for wrestlers from Iraq and Afghanistan.
India's leading squash players Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa, who couldn't see eye to eye after an acrimonious quarterfinal in the Incheon Asian Games, have buried the hatchet to be friends again ahead of a busy upcoming season.
Blaming India for their pull out from the Asian Squash Championships, Pakistan have lodged a complaint with the World and Asian squash bodies, alleging that the hosts deliberately delayed visas to their team.
Shami was there to receive the honours. He took 24 wickets in seven World Cup games last year.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
On the last day of the competition, Yash Vardhan and Shreya Agrawal bagged three gold medals each.
India's 572 athletes hope to return home with an overflowing treasure chest of medals.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
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