Sanya and Unnati advance to round of 16 in Indian squash tour-2

Indian wild cards Sanya Vats and Unnati Tripathi stunned higher-ranked compatriots to enter the round of 16 at the Indian Squash Tour-2 PSA Challenger, highlighting a strong day for young home talent

Mumbai: Indian wild cards Sanya Vats and Unnati Tripathi produced impressive performances to upset higher-ranked compatriots and move into the women’s round of 16 at the Indian Squash Tour-2 PSA Challenger, held at the Otters Club in Mumbai on Monday.

Sanya set the tone for the day with a commanding straight-games win over Nirupama Dubey. The Delhi player looked sharp from the outset, mixing length and drop shots with precision to prevail 11-7, 11-9, 11-7. Her composure under pressure was evident in the second game when Dubey clawed back from a deficit, only for Sanya to close it out with tight winners.

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Unnati, meanwhile, had to dig deep in a gripping four-game encounter against Anjali Semwal. After dropping the opening game 2-11, the teenager regrouped superbly, countering Semwal’s aggressive play with measured retrievals and attacking volleys. She edged the next two games 11-7, 11-7 before clinching the decider 14-12 in dramatic fashion to seal a memorable 2-11, 11-7, 11-7, 14-12 victory.

Joining them in the round of 16 were Tanishka Jain and Janet Vidhi, who both cruised past their opponents in straight games. Jain outclassed Mahak Talati 11-7, 11-8, 11-6, while Vidhi had little trouble dispatching Vyomika Khandelwal 11-5, 11-6, 11-8.

The women’s draw also saw victories for international players. Hong Kong’s Sze Wing Wai and Bobo Lam advanced with straight-game wins over Sunita Patel and Eesha Shrivastava, respectively, while Egypt’s Rana El Sayed overcame India’s Shameena Riaz 3-1.

In the men’s section, Indian players endured a tough day against overseas opponents. Yusha Nafees went down 1-3 to Sri Lanka’s Shamil Wakeel, while Adarsh Banodha was blanked 0-3 by Egypt’s Seif Shenawy.

Egypt’s Marwan Mahmoud Assal, Hong Kong’s Ming Hong Tang and Shing Fung Lam, and Malaysia’s Md Hafiz Abdul Harif also recorded wins over Indian challengers.