Upsets galore in national squash championship

In the girls under-15 section, Akshaya ousted second-seed Aasya Patel while Rathika defeated Maharashtra’s Joshna Singh (seeded two) in the U-19 event.

Rathika Seelan was returning from injury after being out for a year. (Representative image)

Tamil Nadu players S. Akshaya Sri and Rathika Seelan posted upset wins over second-seeded players in the girls under-15 and under-19 singles quarterfinals in the Sub-Junior/Junior National Championship here on Sunday.

In the girls under-15 section, Akshaya ousted second-seed Aasya Patel (Madhya Pradesh) in a five-game thriller, winning 11-13, 6-11, 12-10, 11-1, 11-5.

In the under-19 event, Rathika defeated Maharashtra’s Joshna Singh (seeded two) in four games.

Incidentally, Rathika was returning to action after being out of competitive squash for a year due to a knee injury.

In the girls-under 17 category, Abhishek Shannon (5/8 seed) upset 3/4 seed Tanishka Jain while Megha Bhatia (3/4 seed) defeated Avani Nagar in 3 games.

A record of sorts was created in this match as the second game scoreline read 25-23; a national record for the longest game played in girls under-17 category.