CHENNAI, JULY 20,
He’s reckoned as a phenomenal talent. At 17 years, Mostafa Asal has already clinched three Professional Squash Association $10,000 men’s titles, and is ranked 71 in the world. Seeded two in the World junior squash championships, the Egyptian gave a glimpse of his immense potential with a 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 win over Veer Chotrani of India, to enter the pre-quarterfinals, at the ISA courts here on Thursday.
With the exit of Chotrani and Aishwarya Khubchandani to the second-seeded Hania El Hammamy of Egypt 11-6, 11-5, 11-9 in the girls’ section, the Indian challenge, expectedly, came to an end.
Earlier in the day, Yash Fadte and Rahul Baitha had lost to higher-ranked opponents in James Wyatt (England) and Egypt’s Mostafa Montaser in the boys’ third round.
The biggest upset of the day came when Singapore’s Sneha Sivakumar defeated fifth-seeded Elise Lazarus of England 10-12, 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 in the girls’ second round.
Playing in the show court, top seed Rowan Reda Araby eased past India’s Ashita Bhengra 11-4, 11-8, 11-2 to reach the pre-quarterfinals.
