India’s young rising star Anahat Singh of Delhi effortlessly won both her matches to waltz into the girl’s under-19 and women’s finals of the 78th CCI-Western India Slam Squash Championship 2023, organized by the Cricket Club of India (CCI) under the auspices of the SRFI (Squash Rackets Federation of India).
The 15-year-old Anahat, the reigning National women champion, with a degree of comfort outsmarted 16-year-old Diya Yadav of USA winning in three games at 11-3, 11-5 and 11-3 in little over 17 minutes in the women’s semi-final. Earlier, Anahat, also the girls’ under-19 National champion, strolled past joint 3/4-seed Reiva Nimbalkar winning 11-3, 11-1 and 11-2 in the under-19 final.
In the women’s final, Anahat will be challenged by the defending champion and second seed Janet Vidhi of Maharashtra who prevailed over joint 3/4-seed Ananya Pandey of Chhattisgarh 11-2, 11-5 and 11-4.
There was joy for Diya, the current girls’ under-17 National champion, as overcame Karina Phipps also of USA in three well-contested games at 11-6, 11-6 and 11-5. Diya will meet Maharashtra’s second seed Akanksha Gupta of got the better of Tamil Nadu’s joint 3/4-seed Ananya Narayanan 11-7, 5-11, 11-6 and 11-8.
CCI’s challenger Aditya Chandani continued with his impressive winning form and brushed aside Uttar Pradesh’s 3/4-seed Rajasmin Sharma posting a comfortable 11-7, 11-5 and 11-4 win in the boys’ under-19 semi-finals. In the other semi-finals Tamil Nadu’s 3/4-seed Sandhesh Pr scored a shock win over second seed Ayaan Vaziralli of Maharashtra clinching a hard-fought 9-11, 11-2, 11-8, 10-12 and 17-15 victory.
In one of the most exciting match of the day, unseeded Riyansika Verma of Karnataka showed tremendous fighting spirit and recovered from the brink of defeat to turn the tables on Maharashtra’s second seed Aarika Mishra snatching a tense 2-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7 and 11-8 victory in a girl’s under-15 semi-final.
Later, the top two seeds Suraj Chand and Veer Chotrani easily won the respective matches in the Men’s semi-finals contested between all Maharashtra players. Number one seed Chand defeated Om Semwal 11-9, 5-11, 11-5 and 11-8, while Chotrani got the better of 3/4-seed Rahul Baitha 11-9, 11-4 and 11-9.
Results – Girls’ U-11 (Semi-finals): 1-Divyanshi Jain (RJ) bt Gargi Kadam (MH) 121-3, 11-1, 11-7; 2-Shanaya Roy (MH) bt Shanaya Parasrampuria (MH) 11-3, 9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6.
Girls’ U-13 (Semi-finals): 1-D. Nitiyasree (TN) bt Diva Parasrampuria (TN) 11-5, 7-11, 11-8, 12-10; Goushika M. (TN) bt 2-Anika Kalanki (MP) 6-11, 11-8, 6-11, 14-12, 11-4.
Girls’ U-15 (Semi-finals): 1-Diva Shah (MH) bt 3/ 4-Aelina Shah (MH) bt 11-8, 11-8, 11-9; Riyansika Verma (KA) bt 2-Aarika Mishra (MH) 2-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8.
Girls’ U-17 (Semi-finals): 1-Diya Yadav (USA) bt Karina Phipps (USA) 11-6, 11-6, 11-5; 2-Akanksha Gupta (MH) bt 3/ 4-Ananya Narayanan (TN) 11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 11-8.
Girls’ U-19 (Semi-finals): 1-Anahat Singh (DL) bt 3/ 4-Reiva Nimbalkar (MH) 11-3, 11-1, 11-2; 2-Nirupama Dubey (DL) bt 3/ 4-M. Amritha Rajalakshmi (TN) 11-5, 11-3, 11-4.
Boys’ U-11 (Semi-finals): 1-Abhyuday Arora (DL) bt Vihaan Chandhok (DL) 11-8, 9-11, 16-14, 11-6; 3/ 4-Amarya Bajaj (DL) bt 2-Aaditya Shah (MH) bt 11-9, 11-7, 12-10.
Boys’ U-13 (Semi-finals): 1-Shreyansh Jha (MH) bt 3/ 4-Dhruv Bopana (TN) 10-12, 11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9; 3/ 4-Harshal Rana (HR) bt Divvij Dave (MH) 11-8, 11-2, 10-12, 6-11, 11-7.
Boys’ U-15 (Semi-finals): 1-Subhash Choudhary (RJ) bt 3/ 4-Ishaan Dabke (MH) 11-4, 11-1, 11-4; 2-Varun Shah (ENG) bt 3/ 4-Purav Rambhia (MH) 7-11, 11-9, 16-14, 11-8.
Boys’ U-17 (Semi-finals): 1-Dev Sharma (MH) bt Mitansh Jain (MH) 5-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-2, 11-7; 2-Yusha Nafees (UP) bt Darshil Parasrampuria (TN) 11-3, 16-14, 8-11, 11-4.
Boys’ U-19 (Semi-finals): Aditya Chandani (MH) bt 3/ 4-Rajasmin Sharma (UP) 11-7, 11-5, 11-4; 3/ 4-Sandhesh Pr (TN) bt 2-Ayaan Vaziralli (MH) 9-11, 11-2, 11-8, 10-12, 17-15.
Women (Semi-finals): 1-Anahat Singh (DL) bt Diya Yadav (USA) 11-3, 11-5, 11-3; 2-Janet Vidhi (MH) bt 3/ 4-Ananya Pandey (CG) 11-2, 11-5, 11-4.
Men (Semi-finals): 1-Suraj Chand (MH) bt Om Semwal (MH) 11-9, 5-11, 11-5, 11-8; 2-Veer Chotrani (MH) bt 3/ 4-Rahul Baitha (MH) 11-9, 11-4, 11-9.