Indian sports wrap, April 18: Akanksha Salunkhe moves into quarters of Squash Asian Qualifying event
SQUASH
Salunkhe moves into quarters of Asian Qualifying event of World Championship squash
Indian women squash player Akanksha Salunkhe defeated Malaysia’s Thanusaa Uthrian in the opening round of Asian Qualifying event for the World Championship in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
The second-seeded Indian edged out Uthrian 11-7, 8-11, 11-3, 7-11, 11-5 in the first round.
The world No 71 Akanksha, the 2023 National Games champion and the lone Indian in the fray, will meet another Malaysian, Sehveetrraa Kumar, in the quarterfinals of the 16-player draw on Friday.
The men’s and women’s winners of the Qualifier will earn a spot in the World Championships to be held in Egypt next month.
– PTI
TENNIS
Anirudh Chandrasekar in Challenger quarterfinals
Anirudh Chandrasekar in partnership with Hans Verdugo of Mexico beat Charles Broom and Adam Walton 4-6, 6-4, [11-9] in the doubles pre-quarterfinals of the $164,000 Challenger tennis tournament in Acapulco, Mexico.
In the $40,000 ITF women’s event in Shenzhen, China, Rutuja Bhosale was beaten 7-5, 6-3 by Liu Fangzhou of China in the pre-quarterfinals.
– Kamesh Srinivasan
The results:
$164,000 Challenger, Acapulco, Mexico
Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Antoine Bellier (Sui) & Luca Sanchez (Fra) bt Arjun Kadhe & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 6-3, 3-6, [10-7]; Anirudh Chandrasekar & Hans Verdugo (Mex) bt Charles Broom (GBR) & Adam Walton (Aus) 4-6, 6-4, [11-9].
$25,000 ITF men, Hammamet, Tunisia
Doubles (quarterfinals): Constantin Kouzmine (Fra) & Oleksandr Ovcharenko (Ukr) bt Cian Maguire (Irl) & Rohan Mehra 6-1, 6-7(4), [16-14]; Pre-quarterfinals: Cian & Rohan bt Aryan Singh (GBR) & Alexander Zgirovsky 5-7, 6-2, [10-8].
$15,000 ITF men, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Singles (pre-quarterfinals): Dev Javia bt Jordi Mestre (Esp) 6-2, 6-4; Karan Singh bt Ruslan Kastsiukevich 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; Eric Vanshelboim (Ukr) bt Aryan Sshah 6-3, 7-5; Bekhan Atlangeriev bt Yuvan Nandal 6-1, 6-2.
Doubles (quarterfinals): Maxim Shin (Uzb) & Maxim Zhukov bt SD Prajewal Dev & Sai Karteek Reddy 7-6(5), 7-5.
$40,000 ITF women, Shenzhen, China
Singles (pre-quarterfinals): Liu Fangzhou (Chn) bt Rutuja Bhosale 7-5, 6-3.
$15,000 ITF women, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Singles (pre-quarterfinals): Anna Ureke bt Ashmitha Easwaramurthi 6-0, 7-5.
Doubles (quarterfinals): Anna Ureke & Valeriya Yushchenko bt Ashmitha Easwaramurthi & Elina Nepliy 6-0, 6-3.