Indian men enter Asian Junior Squash Championships final

Indian men reached the final of the Asian Junior Squash Championships for the 5th time on Saturday as they beat South Korea 2-1 in the semifinals.

India’s Paarth Ambani takes on Seojin Oh of South Korea. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The Indian men’s team beat South Korea 2-1 in the semifinals of the Asian Junior Squash Championships at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai on Saturday. Krishna Mishra and Paarth Ambani won their matches in straight games while an injury scare for Shaurya Bawa led to him losing in five games.

The tie started with Krishna Mishra taking on Jooyoung Na in a thrilling match with both players trading points in what seemed like a close first game. However, Mishra came out on top winning 12-10. The Indian then won the next two games with much more ease, as he gave India a 1-0 lead.

With India in the lead, they banked on Delhi boy Shaurya Bawa to wrap things up for them. However, after gaining a 2-0 lead, an injury in his hamstring led him to lose the next three games, with South Korea’s Kun Kim taking advantage and winning the match 3-2.

At 1-1, in came seasoned campaigner Paarth Ambani, who used his defensive and tactical game to his advantage as he made South Korea’s Seojin Oh, move to all four corners of the court. Paarth ran away with the match 3-0 in no time, helping India reach the finals of the Asian Juniors for the 5th time.

Indian men will take on the winner of the second semifinal between Pakistan and Malaysia in the finals. Indian women, however, lost to Malaysia in the semis.

Results

Krishna Mishra vs Jooyoung Na: 3-0 (10-12 9-11 8-11)

Shaurya Bawa vs Kun Kim: 2-3 (12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 1-11, 6-11)

Paarth Ambani vs Seojin Oh: 3-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-4)