The HCL Squash Indian Tour 4 is currently underway, with the top Indian players making a strong impression in the pre-quarterfinals. Velavan Senthilkumar, the reigning men’s national champion, and Anahat Singh, the reigning women’s national champion, both cruised into the quarterfinals with convincing victories. Senthilkumar, ranked 46th in the world, defeated Sri Lanka’s Ravindu Laksiri 11-7, 11-8, 11-7, while Singh, ranked 29th in the world, eased past Tamara Holzbauerova of the Czech Republic 11-7, 11-7, 11-7.
Other Indian players who made it to the quarterfinals include former women’s world No. 10 Joshna Chinappa, women’s sixth seed Tanvi Khanna, and men’s second seed Veer Chotrani. Chinappa defeated Ella Jane Lash of New Zealand 11-5, 11-8, 11-4, while Khanna beat Cristina Tartarone of Italy 12-10, 11-6, 11-6. Chotrani came from behind to defeat Suraj Kumar Chand 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6.
The pre-quarterfinals saw some closely contested matches, with several players pushing their opponents to five games. However, the top seeds generally dominated their matches, with Senthilkumar and Singh dropping only a handful of points throughout their respective matches. The quarterfinals are expected to be highly competitive, with several top-ranked players still in the running for the title.
The results of the pre-quarterfinals were as follows: Adam Hawal of Egypt defeated Addeen Idrakie of Malaysia, Diego Gobbi of Brazil defeated Diwakar Singh, and Daniel Poleshchuk of Israel defeated Louai Hafez of Switzerland. In the women’s draw, Nardine Garas of Egypt defeated Sanya Vats, Nga Ching Cheng of Hong Kong defeated Rathika Suthanthira Seelan, and Hayley Ward of South Africa defeated Karina Tyma of Poland.
The quarterfinals will feature some exciting matchups, with Senthilkumar facing off against Joseph White of Australia, and Singh taking on Nardine Garas of Egypt. The tournament is expected to be a thrilling conclusion, with the top players in the world competing for the top prize.