Akanksha, Anahat to face off in all-Indian ladies’s remaining; Chotrani in males’s summit conflict

Veer Chotrani defeated Ravindu Laksiri to succeed in the ultimate of the SRFI Indian Tour Squash Championship in Chennai on Thursday.
| Photograph Credit score: R. Ravindran

On a day of sub-30 minute semifinals and straight-game wins, three Indians – Akanksha Salunkhe, Anahat Singh, and Veer Chotrani – made it to the finals of the SRFI Indian Tour Squash Championship on the Indian Squash and Triathlon Academy (ISTA) right here on Thursday.

Like on the Western India Open in Mumbai in December, top-seed Akanksha and the 17-year-old Anahat will face off within the ladies’s remaining once more on Friday. Chotrani will tackle Frenchman Melvil Scianimanico within the males’s remaining.

After Akanksha ousted Joshna Chinappa 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 in 25 minutes, Anahat disposed off South African Hayley Ward 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 within the shortest match (17 min) of the event thus far.

A hanging facet of Anahat’s recreation is her use of the sidewalls to good impact. She received two factors by bouncing off strokes off the sidewall within the second recreation, and one level by spectacularly getting her sidewall stroke to low ball cross-court off the entrance wall within the third recreation.

Enjoying Sri Lankan Ravindu Laksiri within the final match of the day, Chotrani needed to play catch-up solely within the third recreation. Down 0-5, he rallied to win six of the next seven factors to make it 6-all. It was 7-all, 8-all, 9-all, and 10-all from there earlier than Chotrani secured two successive factors and a remaining berth.

The outcomes (semifinals): Males: Veer Chotrani bt Ravindu Laksiri (SL) 11-5, 11-7, 12-10; Melvil Scianimanico (Fra) bt Diego Gobbi (Bra) 11-7, 11-2, 11-7.

Girls: Anahat Singh bt Hayley Ward (RSA) 11-6, 11-3, 11-4; Akanksha Salunkhe bt Joshna Chinappa 11-5, 11-7, 11-7.