CHENNAI: It was a mixed day for squash players from Tamil Nadu at the Khelo India Youth Games played at the Indian Squash Academy, Chennai.
Talented athletes from various states showcased their skill and determination. The event witnessed some remarkable performances. In the women’s individual matches, Pooja Arthi from Tamil Nadu delivered a stunning performance defeating Subhadra K Sony of Kerala with a commanding score of 11-2 in all three sets. Her teammate, Shameena Riaz triumphed over Chitrangda Goel from Uttar Pradesh in a gripping match, securing victory with scores of 11-3, 14-12, 8-11, 11-3.
In the men’s category, Arihant KS from Tamil Nadu outplayed Malay Rathod of Chhattisgarh (11-2, 11-2, 11-1). Sandhesh PR defeated Rishi Pawar of Rajasthan (11-3, 11-8, 11-8). In a nail-biting encounter, Meyyappan L from Tamil Nadu narrowly beat Dishant Murjani of Rajasthan, with the final scores reading 10-12, 11-5, 8-11, 11-2, 13-11.
However, not all matches favoured Tamil Nadu as Avalokit Singh of Rajasthan beat Abhay S Vasudev 11-3, 11-8, 11-5. Similarly, Karan Yadav from Uttar Pradesh emerged victorious against Aakash Kannan with a straight-set win of 11-5, 11-4, 11-9. “We have prepared well for the Khelo games at the Indian Squash Academy. It feels nice to be the top-seed. I had a good season last year. We are a good set of players and we will all go out for the gold,” said Pooja. “Maharashtra team is a bit stronger than us, UP is also a good side. We have few players with experience and quality in our ranks. I have been training with Deepak Mishra, so we expect good results,” she added.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu bagged their first gold of the tournament in Yogasana with twins Sarvesh and Devesh winning the medal in the Rhythmic Pair category (127.89 points). In basketball, Tamil Nadu teams aim to clinch both gold medals as action starts in Coimbatore on Sunday. In the men’s event, Tamil Nadu have been clubbed along with Rajasthan, Karnataka and Chandigarh in Group B, while the women are in Group A alongside Maharashtra, Kerala and Chandigarh. On Sunday, Tamil Nadu men will take on Karnataka, while women will face Chandigarh later in the day.
Results: Squash: Singles: R16: Men’s: Tavneet Singh Mundra (MP) bt Vansh Chandrakar (CG) 11-2, 11-2, 11-4; Ansh Tripathi (UP) bt Rachit Kumar Shailya (UP) 14-12, 11-9, 11-6; Sandhesh (TN) bt Rishi Panwar (RJ) 11-3, 11-8, 11-8; Meyyappan L (TN) bt Dishant Murjani (RJ) 10-12, 11-5, 8-11, 11-2, 13-11; Arihant KS (TN) bt Malay Rathod (CG) 11-2, 11-2, 11-1; Karan Yadav (UP) bt Aakash Kannan (TN) 11-5, 11-4, 11-9; Avalokit Singh (RJ) bt Abhay S Vasudev (TN) 11-3, 11-8, 11-5; Aryan Pratap Singh (UP) bt Gautham R Das, (KL) 11-5, 11-4, 11-3; Women: Pooja Arthi R (TN) bt Subhadra K Sony (KL) 11-2, 11-2, 11-2; Yashi Jain (RJ) bt Vaibhavi Baalaje (KA) 11-1, 11-5, 11-8; Deepika V (TN) bt Khushi Puranik (DL) 11-7, 11-7, 11-7; Chhavi Saran (RJ) bt Reiva Nimbalkar (MH) 11-6, 11-6, 6-11, 11-7 ; Shameena Riaz (TN) bt Chitrangda Goel (UP) 11-3, 14-12, 8-11, 11-3; Khushboo (UP) bt Dhritih Kandpal (GJ) 11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 11-4; Unnati Tripathi (UP) bt Chazerina Benjamin (MP) 11-5, 11-3, 11-1;
Nirupama Dubey (MH) bt Perina Sharma (DL) 1-0 retd. Yoga: 1. Tamil Nadu: Devesh/Sarvesh 127.89 points; 2. West Bengal: Avrajit Saha/ Nil Sarkar 127.57 points; 3. Maharashtra: Khush Charan Ingole/ Yadnesh Ravindra Wankhade 127.20 points.