Squash
Velavan Senthilkumar, Akanksha Salunkhe clinch Jansher Khan Canberra Open squash titles
Velavan, the Asian Championships silver medallist, beat Joseph White of Australia 3-1 in the final in Canberra.
Velavan Senthilkumar and Akanksha Salunkhe pose for photographs with their Jansher Khan Canberra Open men's and women's singles trophies.
Indian squash player Velavan Senthilkumar, the Asian Championships silver medallist, won the Jansher Khan Canberra Open 2023 men's singles title.
Continuing his fine form, Velavan, 25, beat world no. 137 Joseph White of Australia 3-1 (11-8, 11-9, 2-11, 11-3) in 54 minutes to bag $6,000.
Velavan, who got a bye in the first round, has performed brilliantly all through the tournament. The southpaw won all his matches without conceding a game en route to the final. He defeated another Australian player Elijah Thomas 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-6) in the semifinals and fellow Indian Suraj Kumar Chand 3-0 in the quarterfinals.
In women's singles, in an all-Indian clash, Akanksha Salunkhe defeated Tanvi Khanna 3-2 (9-11, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8, 13-11).
Both Akashkha and Tanvi performed outstandingly. In the semifinals, Akanksha defeated Alex Haydon 3-1, while Tanvi won 3-0 against Sarah Cardwell.
Earlier this year, Velavan made a runner-up finish at the 2023 Asian Individual Squash Championships held in Hong Kong in June. The 25-year-old is only the second Indian man in the tournament's history to reach the final. In March, Velavan won the Poznan Open in Poland.
The tournament is named after legendary Pakistani squash player Jansher Khan, an eight-time World Open gold medallist and six-time British Open champion. He holds the record for being unbeaten for 81 matches from 1990 to 1996.
