Squash
Abhay Singh dominates the glass court in Palace; enters HCL-SRFI Indian tour final
Enjoying a 2022 season laden with achievements and several firsts, squash star Abhay Singh is delighted with the way the sport is developing in India.
Abhay Singh (Source: abhaysinghk98/Instagram)
Jodhpur: Abhay Singh was all smiles after registering a clinical 3-0 win over Malaysia's Ong Sai Hung in the semifinal of the ongoing HCL SRFI India Tour here on Sunday. He was mobbed by fans for photographs and autographs just as he exited the glass court at the Umaid Bhawan Palace.
"It is fortunate that the junior and senior events are coinciding, so that the junior players can watch us play," Abhay told The Bridge right after reaching the final of the Jodhpur leg of the HCL SRFI India Tour.
The 24-year-old has had a dream run this year. It all started when he clinched his maiden PSA Tour title at the Lorient Open earlier in the year. Since then Singh has not only gone on to bag the gold medal at the National Games and the Chennai leg of the India tour, but has also been a vital part of India's historic show at the Asian Team Championships in South Korea.
In between all this, he also made his debut at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
"It is every athlete's dream to play at the CWG. Being with seniors such as Joshna, Deepika and Saurav in the squad was a different environment for me and it is certainly something that pushes me to keep playing. Hopefully, I will win a medal next time around," Abhay mentioned.
He also heaped praise on the Squash Podium Program, an initiative by HCL and SRFI, for supporting young players like him.
"The HCL and Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) has done a wonderful job over the years for developing the sport in India. A glass court in a palace would not have been possible without them," he said.
A world-class tempered-glass court with the majestic dome of Umaid Bhawan Palace rising in the background served as a testimony to Abhay's statement.
Currently, Abhay Singh's training is split in two locations - Chennai and Edinburgh. He works a lot on his physical side in Chennai, while a major chunk of his tactical learning takes place in the Scottish city.
When asked about how he started playing squash, Abhay said: "My parents just took me to play tennis one day but it was too full for me to enroll. This was at the same place as the squash academy."
From a full tennis court to a glass court in a palace – it all seems to have worked out quite well for Abhay Singh, hasn't it?
