Squash
SDAT Squash World Cup: Hosts India rout South Africa in quarters
Joshna, Abhay and Anahat win their matches; to play Egypt in the semi-final.
(From left) Velavan Senthilkumar, Joshna Chinappa, Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh before the quarterfinal tie against South Africa in Chennai on Friday. (Photo credit: India Squash/screengrab)
India advanced to the semi-finals of the 2025 SDAT Squash World Cup with a comfortable 3-0 win over South Africa in the quarter-finals at Chennai’s Express Avenue Mall on Friday.
India will take on reigning champion Egypt in the semi-final and Japan will be up against top seeds Hong Kong, China on Saturday.
The experienced Joshna Chinappa gave the hosts an early advantage with a comfortable win over Teagan Russell.
The Commonwealth Games medalist was hardly tested as she wrapped up the opening tie with a 3-0 (7-4, 7-4, 7-2) win.
Abhay Singh, highest-ranked Indian men’s squash player at World No 29, also produced a composed performance in the second tie.
The Indian was tested by Dewald in the second game but a technical stop helped him recover from 2-4 down to take the second game 7-6. He eventually defeated the tall South African 3-0 (7-1, 7-6, 7-1).
Anahat Singh, the youngest player in the tournament, beat Hayley Ward 3-0 (7-3, 7-3, 7-4) to ensure a smooth passage to the semifinals.
Earlier in the pool stage matches, India beat Switzerland 4-0 in their first tie and Brazil 3-0 in their second pool stage encounter.
India’s best-ever performance at the World Cup came in 2023, when they won a bronze medal. In the same edition, Egypt emerged as champions.
India vs South Africa Quarter-final result:
Joshna Chinappa bt Teagan Russell 3-0 (7-4, 7-4, 7-2)
Abhay Singh bt Dewald Van Niekerk 3-0 (7-1, 7-6, 7-1)
Anahat Singh bt Hayley Ward 3-0 (7-3, 7-3, 7-4)
Velavan Senthilkumar vs Damian Groenewald
Other Quarter-Final Results:
Hong Kong bt Switzerland 3-0
Japan bt Malaysia 2(1)-2
Egypt bt Australia 3-0
Semifinal Schedule:
3:30PM: Japan vs Hong Kong, China
6PM: India vs Egypt
