Indian Open 2025 Squash: Tanvi Khanna and Veer Chotrani Advance to Second Round
Patiala, 25 March (Sports Desk)
India’s Tanvi Khanna and Veer Chotrani kicked off their campaigns at the Indian Open 2025 squash tournament with impressive victories on Monday at Bombay Gymkhana in Mumbai. The tournament, India’s inaugural PSA Squash Copper event, saw strong performances from the home players amidst tough international competition.
Tanvi Khanna overcame Hong Kong China’s Toby Tse in a four-game battle, securing a 3-1 victory with a scoreline of 11-8, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7. The win sets up an exciting second-round matchup against top seed Akanksha Salunkhe. Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Veer Chotrani dominated his compatriot Suraj Kumar Chand in the men’s draw, cruising to a swift 3-0 win (11-6, 11-7, 11-2) in just 30 minutes.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Indian contingent. Om Semwal fell to Egypt’s Kareem El Torkey 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-8), while Nirupama Dubey put up a valiant fight but ultimately lost 3-2 (11-7, 11-1, 5-11, 8-11, 11-7) to Egypt’s Nour Ramy in a gripping five-game contest that lasted 50 minutes.
The opening day showcased a strong Egyptian presence, with six players from the country securing victories. The action began with Hong Kong China’s Helen Tang outlasting Japan’s Erisa Sano Herring 3-1 (11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8) in a 35-minute women’s match. Elsewhere, Egypt’s Ziad Ibrahim edged Switzerland’s David Bernet 3-1 (11-8, 12-14, 11-9, 11-8) in a near-hour-long men’s clash, while Salma El Alfy overcame Japan’s Risa Sugimoto 3-1 (6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-9) in 34 minutes.
Egypt’s Malak Fathy delivered a commanding performance, dispatching France’s Lea Barbeau 3-0 (11-6, 11-2, 11-7) in just 23 minutes, and Nadien Elhammamy followed suit with a 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-6) rout of the Netherlands’ Tessa ter Sluis in the same timeframe. Kareem El Torkey capped off Egypt’s dominant day with his win over Semwal.
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Other notable results included Colombia’s Matias Knudsen defeating Malaysia’s Mohammad Syafiq Kamal 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-5), and France’s Melvil Scianimanico outlasting Spain’s Ivan Perez 3-1 (11-7, 11-9, 3-11, 12-10) in a 53-minute thriller. Spain’s Cristina Gomez made short work of India’s Anjali Semwal, winning 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-8) in 22 minutes, while Sofía Mateos triumphed over Egypt’s Lojayn Gohary 3-0 (11-7, 12-10, 11-3) in 33 minutes.
In an all-Malaysian showdown, Ameeshenraj Chandaran defeated Duncan Lee 3-1 (9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-3). The day concluded with Brazil’s Diego Gobbi overcoming Egypt’s Seif El-Shenawy 3-0 (11-7, 11-8, 12-10) in 31 minutes.
With the second round on the horizon, Khanna and Chotrani will look to carry forward India’s hopes in this historic tournament.
