India enjoyed double delight at Hong Kong Football Club as they reached the last eight of the WSF World Squash Team Championships after their men’s team upset No.5 seeds Malaysia and their women’s side took down nine-time champions Australia.
Seeded 9/12, India’s men came up against the reigning ASF Asian Team champions with a lot to do, a task that became even harder after their first string Abhay Singh went down 3-0 to Malaysian first string Eain Yow Ng.
The team’s response was excellent, though. With today’s string order 1-3-2, it was up to third string Veer Chotrani to rescue his side, and the 23-year-old confidently pulled India level with a win in straight games over Mohammad Syafiq Kamal.
In the decider, second string Velavan Senthilkumar proved the hero for his side, ramping up the pressure after an even start to win 11-8, 7-11, 11-3, 11-4.
That win for the men followed a strong showing from their women’s team, with the 10/12 seeded side overcoming 7/9 seeds Australia 2-1 after comfortable wins for Anahat Singh and Akanksha Salunkhe, either side of a loss for Nirupama Dubey to Sarah Cardwell.
“It feels really good to make the top eight,” Senthilkumar said.
“It was a good match and being the deciding match, there’s always a bit of pressure. I was nervous but I got better and better as the match went on.”
India’s men will face France in the next round after the No.3 seeds beat South Africa 2-0. India’s women will play 2022 runners up USA, with the No.2 seeds receiving a bye after the pools stage.
Meanwhile, hosts Hong Kong, China came back from difficult starts in both competitions as their No.6 seeded women’s team edged past Scotland while their No.8 seeded men beat No.7 seeds USA.
The women’s side had sailed through the Pools Stage, but struggled against 10/12 seeds Scotland, with Tomato Ho convincingly beaten by Georgia Adderley before Tsz-Wing Tong beat Ellie Jones in straight games and then Ka Yi Lee nervously survived a comeback from Alison Thomson to claim an 11-8, 11-4, 14-16, 10-12, 11-9 victory.
The men’s side, meanwhile, came back from a match down for the second tie in a row as Alex Lau lost a five-game thriller to Timothy Brownell before Ming Hong Tang and Henry Leung delivered 3-1 wins against Nicholas Spizzirri and Spencer Lovejoy, respectively.
Coach Faheem Khan said afterwards: “I’m really proud of both of the teams, they have done really well. That was exciting!”
The hosts’ women’s team will play No.3 seeds Belgium in the quarter-final. The men will take on No.2 seeds England, who survived a huge scare against 13/16 seeds Spain, with England No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy being flattened by Iker Pajares 11-6, 11-8, 11-1 before Curtis Malik overcame Edmon Lopez in a bad-tempered clash and Marwan ElShorbagy defeated Ivan Perez in straight games.
The WSF World Team Championships continue tomorrow, 12 December, from 12:00 (GMT+8), as the quarter-finals begin, with the new outdoor glass court being used for the first time from 17:30.
Watch the action live and free on WORLDSQUASH.TV and partner channels, including the Olympic Channel.
Click here to view results for the 2024 WSF World Squash Team Championships.
Find out more about the WSF World Squash Team Championships at wsfworldteams.com.
Click here to purchase tickets for the WSF World Squash Team Championships.
For the latest WSF news, follow the World Squash Federation on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) or subscribe to the WSF Newsletter.
Watch free squash action, interviews and features at WORLDSQUASH.TV
Draw: Women’s Quarter-Finals
[1] Egypt v [7/9] France
[3] Belgium v [6] Hong Kong, China
[4] England v [5] Malaysia
[2] USA v [10/12] India
Draw: Men’s Quarter-Finals
[1] Egypt v [9/12] Germany
[3] France v [9/12] India
[4] Switzerland v [6] Colombia
[2] England v [8] Hong Kong, China
About the WSF World Squash Team Championships
The WSF World Squash Team Championships are contested annually and pit National Federation squads of four players against each other as they compete for the title of World Champions. The 2024 edition, which is taking place in Hong Kong, China, from 09-15 December 2024 and will be hosted at the Hong Kong Football Club, with the support of the Squash Association of Hong Kong, China.
This year’s championships will be the first to feature concurrent men’s and women’s events, with previous editions alternating between the two annually.
enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia’s sports event capital. The “M” Mark awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, symbolising intense, spectacular and signature event in the territory sports calendar.
About the World Squash Federation
The World Squash Federation (WSF) is the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognised International Federation for squash. It is a member of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) and from 1 January 2025 an associate member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).
About Hong Kong Football Club
Hong Kong Football Club (HKFC) was founded in 1886 with a mission to facilitate the development of sporting activities in Hong Kong. It has followed a vision to be one of the leading not-for-profit sports clubs in the world.
Regarded as one of the finest sporting clubs in Asia, the 64,000-square-metre building offers the largest range of facilities among all the sports clubs in Hong Kong. HKFC not only provides Hong Kong with a world-class venue for many major international sports events, but also plays a key role in Hong Kong’s thriving sporting and social community.
