Squash
Asian Junior Squash C'ships: Agarwal, Aadya, and Gowshika advance to the semi-finals
Indian players displayed mixed fortunes at the Junior Squash Championships, with three semi-finalists and five quarter-final losses.
Indian squad for 31st Asian Junior Individual Squash Championship 2024.
India's Shiven Agarwal, Aadya Budhia, and M. Gowshika secured their spots in the semi-finals of their respective categories at the 31st Junior Individual Squash Championships held in Islamabad on Thursday.
Shiven Agarwal, seeded second in the under-15 category, defeated local challenger Abdul Ahad Butt in the quarter-finals with scores of 11-4, 11-7, 11-5.
In the under-13 girls category, second-seeded Aadya Budhia and fourth-seeded M. Gowshika advanced to the semi-finals. Aadya overcame Mahnoor Ali of Pakistan in a four-game match with scores of 11-4, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6.
Meanwhile, Gowshika triumphed over Makaela Lin Cassidy of Hong Kong in straight games. Despite these successes, the Indian contingent also experienced setbacks, with five players bowing out in the quarter-finals.
Among them was Nirupama Dubey, seeded fifth in the U-19 category, who lost in a closely contested five-game match against Japan's third-seeded Akari Midorikawa. Dubey showed resilience by winning the next two games after losing the first two sets, but Midorikawa ultimately clinched victory with scores of 7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 5-11.
Other Results
- U-17 Boys: Sixth-seeded Yusha Nafees lost to top seed Abdullah Nawaz of Pakistan (1-11, 7-11, 2-11).
- U-15 Girls: Eighth-seeded Anika Dubey fell to top seed Harleein Tan (MAS) (2-11, 5-11, 5-11), and ninth-seeded Diva Shah lost to second-seeded Lo Pui Yin Chole of Hong Kong (6-11, 6-11, 9-11).
- U-17 Girls: Sixth-seeded Unnati Tripathi lost to fourth-seeded Doyce Lee Ye San (MAS) (3-11, 1-11, 6-11).
- U-19 Girls: Fifth-seeded Nirupama Dubey lost to third-seeded Akari Midorikawa of Japan (7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 5-11).
The tournament will conclude on the 29th of this month.
