India’s Shameena Riaz and Om Semwal caused major upsets at the USD 15,000 SRFI PSA Challenger Squash Tournament in Mumbai. Riaz defeated top seed Hayley Ward of South Africa in four games, while Semwal outlasted third seed Diego Gobbi of Brazil in five games. In other matches, Tanvi Khanna beat Pooja Arthi Raghu 3-0, but Suraj Kumar Chand lost to Egypt’s Ziad Ibrahim.
Shameena Riaz, who secured the final spot on the Indian team for the Asian Games, triumphed over Hayley Ward after losing the first game. Riaz displayed composure and skill to win 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9. She mentioned adjusting to the conditions and moving the ball strategically to outplay her opponent.
Om Semwal, aged 22, overcame Gobbi in a challenging match that went to five games. Semwal emphasized taking it one point at a time to secure a 6-11, 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 victory. Semwal is set to face Egypt’s Ziad Ibrahim in the next round after Ibrahim defeated Suraj Kumar Chand.
