After a prolific run in the quarter-finals, India has earned their place in the semi-finals of the ongoing SDAT Squash World Cup 2025. On Friday, December 12, 2025, in the quarter-finals clash, the team took a comfortable win against South Africa by a score of 3-0, held at Chennai’s Express Avenue Mall.
Joshna Chinappa gave India the first win of the day after defeating South Africa’s Teagan Russell by a score of 3-0 and in sets of 7-4, 7-4, 7-2. Meanwhile, world No. 29 Abhay Singh, also currently the highest-ranked Indian men’s squash player, suffered a bit of a downfall in the second round from Dewald Van Niekerk.
The first round saw Abhay giving a composed performance and winning it by 7-1. However, in the second round, the Indian went under pressure when he went down at 2-4, but a technical stop allowed him to recover and ended the round in a close 7-6. The third round was an easy one, and Abhay got the lead at 7-1 and won the game by a score of 3-0.
On the contrary, youngster Anahat Singh defeated world No. 70 Hayley Ward, taking an easy win by 3-0 and in sets of 7-3, 7-3, 7-4.
With India leading the game in a clean sweep score of 3-0, the fourth match between national champion Velavan Senthilkumar and Damian Groenewald was cancelled. Velavan currently sits at No. 45 in the rankings of men’s squash players.
India began their campaign with pool stage matches where they first defeated Switzerland by 4-0, followed by Brazil, whom they faced in the second match and won by a score of 3-0.
This is India’s second consecutive qualification in the semi-finals of the Squash World Cup. In the 2023 edition, they made it to the top four.
In the semi-finals scheduled on Saturday, India will play against reigning champion Egypt, while in the second match, Japan will take over top seeds Hong Kong, China.
Semi-finals Schedule of 2025 SDAT Squash World Cup
- Japan vs Hong Kong, China (3:30PM)
- India vs Egypt (6PM)
India vs South Africa Quarter-Finals Result
- Joshna Chinappa vs. Teagan Russell 3-0 (7-4, 7-4, 7-2)
- Abhay Singh vs. Dewald Van Niekerk 3-0 (7-1, 7-6, 7-1)
- Anahat Singh vs. Hayley Ward 3-0 (7-3, 7-3, 7-4)
- Velavan Senthilkumar vs. Damian Groenewald
Other Team Results in Quarter-Finals
- Hong Kong vs. Switzerland (3-0)
- Japan vs. Malaysia [2(1)-2]
- Egypt vs. Australia (3-0)
