India suffered a crushing 0-3 defeat at the hands of Malaysia in the semi-finals of the Squash World Cup 2023 to get knocked out of the tournament, staged at the Express Avenue Mall in Chennai on Friday.
The Malaysian team, seeded fourth, put up a stellar performance to secure a commanding victory. The two losing semi-finalists, India and Japan, were awarded bronze medals.
Abhay Singh, ranked 62nd, took on Ong Sai Hung in the opening match on Friday. The Malaysian started off on a strong note, winning the opening game 7-4. However, Abhay Singh showcased immense resilience and fought back to clinch the next two games. Sai Hung, however, won the fourth game 7-1 and edged the Indian 7-6 in the decisive fifth to win the match.
After Abhay's defeat, the onus was on Joshna Chinappa to bring India back on the winning track. At the World Cup, each tie consists of four matches, with two matches allocated two points each and the remaining two allotted one point each.
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As the top seed in the women's section, Joshna was assigned the two-point game. But, Joshna did not seem to be at her best, and lost to the promising 19-year-old talent, Aira Azman, with a scoreline of 3-1. However, a few contentious decisions could have swung either way, leaving the Indian player visibly upset.
In the men's section, Commonwealth Games 2022 bronze medalist Saurav Ghosal took the court against the 149th-ranked Darren Pragasam. Saurav, who was reportedly nursing a knee injury, was outplayed by Pragasam in all departments.
The Indian relied on drop shots and managed to win four out of the five attempts but his tactic was nullified soon with some brilliant counter-attacks. Pragasam's victory in this crucial encounter dealt the final blow to India's hopes in the tournament.
“I know the fans wanted an India win today but I’m so happy to see so many people come out and support our sport. It’s amazing, thank you so much," Pragasam was quoted as saying by World Squash.
“Saurav’s someone I’ve looked up to since forever. He’s one of the greatest Asian players and Indian players. I saw he was struggling a bit and I said ‘I have a chance today’ but hats off to him, he fought to end even though he was hurting. You guys have to be really proud of him.”
Semi-final Results
India lost to Malaysia (0-3)
Sai Hung Ong beat Abhay Singh 3-2: 7-4, 5-7, 1-7, 7-1, 7-6
Aira Azman beat Joshna Chinappa 3-1: 7-3, 7-3, 5-7, 7-4
Darren Pragasam beat Saurav Ghosal 3-1: 7-5, 2-7, 7-6, 7-5
Xin Ying Yee vs Tanvi Khanna – match withdrawn
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