Egypt, the defending champions of the SDAT Squash World Cup, were defeated by India in the semi-finals clash of the 2025 World Cup edition on Saturday, December 13, held at Chennai’s Express Avenue Mall. India performed with brilliance, taking a 3-0 win over Egypt. In the 2023 edition, the hosts won a bronze.
India will next face Hong Kong, China in the final match of the Squash World Cup. In their semi-final match, top seeds Hong Kong defeated Japan 2-0 to secure their spot in the finals alongside India.
The only female player in the Indian squad, 17-year-old Anahat Singh, underwent an intense battle against world No. 44 Nour Heikal. Anahat defeated Nour in a dramatic 3-2 victory and in sets of 6-7, 7-5, 7-3, 3-7, 7-3.
Earlier in the tournament, India’s top-ranked women’s player, Anahat, started her campaign securing her victory against Switzerland’s Céline Walser by 3-0. She continued her dominant run against Brazil’s Laura Silva by 3-0. Her third win came over South Africa’s Hayley Ward in the quarter-finals.
In the opening match of the semi-finals, national champion Velavan Senthilkumar stepped in, giving an early advantage for India. He defeated world No. 96 Ibrahim Elkabbani by a score of 3-0 and sets of 7-1, 7-3, 7-6. In the final round, Velavan went under a setback from Ibrahim, who took the lead at 6-5, but the Indian soon recovered and sealed the win.
Meanwhile, India’s top-ranked men’s squash player and world No. 29 Abhay Singh continued the dominant run and sealed the win against Adam Hawal by 3-1 (7-5, 6-7, 7-5, 7-6).
The fourth match of the day between India’s Joshna Chinnappa and Egypt’s Nardine Sameh Garas resulted in DNP (did not play).
India’s road to the finals in the tournament is backed by their dominant victory in the pool matches against Switzerland, Brazil, and South Africa. On the other hand, defending champions Egypt defeated Iran, Japan, and Australia to reach the semi-finals.
With the win, India makes its first-ever qualification in the finals of the SDAT Squash World Cup.
India vs Egypt Semi-final Results: (3-0)
Velavan Senthilkumar vs. Ibrahim Elkabbani (3-0)
Anahat Singh vs. Nour Heikal (3-2)
Abhay Singh vs. Adam Hawal (3-1)
Joshna Chinnappa vs. Nardine Sameh Garas DNP
Hong Kong, China vs. Japan Semi-final Results: (2-3)
Henry Leung vs. Tomotaka Endo (2-3)
Tomato Ho vs. Satomi Watanabe (0-3)
Alex Lau vs. Ryunosuke Tsukue (3-0)
Ka Yi Lee vs. Akari Midorikawa (3-1)
