CHENNAI: Hosts India cruised past minnows Switzerland in a 4-0 drubbing in a Poll B fixture of the Squash World Cup at the Express Avenue Mall on Tuesday. Debutants Velevan Senthilkumar and Anahat Singh got off to a flier and helped set the tone for their senior colleagues Abhay Singh and Joshna Chinappa. India, bronze medallists in 2023, have assembled a well-balanced squad combining youth and experience, with Chennai locals Joshna, 39, Abhay Singh, 27, Senthilkumar, 27, joined by Delhi's teen star Anahat, 17.
Up first for India on the day was Indian national champion Senthilkumar, who faced Robin Gadola. Senthilkumar had to dig deep to gain momentum and eventually win the tie. "It's a new court, of course it takes time to get used to it, but I played in this court a few weeks ago(in Indore)It was a bit familiar, but of course the weather conditions are different here (than in Indore) - it's a little warmer, so the ball was still very bouncy throughout the match."
India national coach Harinder Pal Sandhu also echoed similar concerns: "The bounce is different in the first game, then from second and third game, the ball slows down a little bit.Then the front court opens up a lot.And even when you use the height, you know, ball, it's not easy to spot the ball because of light," he explained.
Anahat doubled India's lead with a comprehensive 13-minute win over Celine Walser. Abhay, part of the India team that won team gold at the last Asian Games, then put the result beyond all doubt with a straight games win over Louai Hafez.
In the last match of the tie, Chinappa — who won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games — took on 21-year-old Stella Kaufmann.
India's next match is against Brazil on Thursday December 11.
Results: Results: Pool A: Hong Kong, China 4-0 South Korea; Pool B: India 4-0 Switzerland; Pool D: Japan 4-0 IR Iran.
Wednesday's fixtures: Australia vs Poland (10.30 am), Egypt vs Iran (1.00 pm), Brazil vs Switzerland (3.30 pm), South Africa vs Korea (6.00 pm), Malaysia vs Poland (8.30 pm).