Reigning men’s national champion Velavan Senthilkumar and Veer Chotrani advanced in the Squash on Fire Open in Washington after hard-fought first round victories in the PSA Bronze-level event. Senthilkumar, ranked World No. 46, overcame England’s Tom Walsh 12-14, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 and is set to face Mexican world No. 11 Leonel Cardenas next. Chotrani, ranked World No. 49, defeated Hungary’s Balazs Farkas 6-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-3 and will meet French world No. 19 Baptiste Masotti in the next round.
Chotrani faced a tough challenge against the Hungarian No. 1, trailing 8-2 in game four after losing the first two games. However, he displayed resilience by winning nine of the next 10 points, forcing a decider and seizing control of the match. He carried this momentum into the final game, dominating to secure seven match balls at 10-3 and closing out the match decisively.
In the women’s event, Anahat Singh, the Women’s National champion and seventh seed, received a first-round bye. A closely contested match between Menna Hamed and Wai Yhann Au Yeong followed, with Au Yeong, a late entry, impressing with victories in two intense tiebreaks in the initial games. Despite an early setback due to injury, Hamed regrouped to win the subsequent games and secure her spot in the next round.
The tournament witnessed notable performances, including Hayley Ward’s 3-2 triumph over Xin Ying Yee and Noor Zaman’s victory against wildcard Yee Xian Siow. Sam Todd defeated Valerii Fedoruk, and Nathan Lake concluded the day with a 3-1 win over Mazen Hesham.
