Indian sports wrap, December 13: India to face Hong Kong in Squash World Cup final

SQUASH

India storms into final of Squash World Cup with victory over Egypt

India stormed into the final of the SDAT Squash World Cup with an emphatic 3-0 victory over defending champion Egypt at the Express Avenue Mall here on Saturday, achieving a historic first for the host nation in the competition.

Seeded second, India was aware that the task would not be straightforward despite Egypt fielding a side without its top stars. The African powerhouse’s depth was on display, and while the scoreline suggested dominance, two of the three rubbers were keenly contested and stretched to the limit.

National champion Velavan Senthilkumar laid the foundation with a clinical opening performance, using immaculate length and precision to subdue Ibrahim Elkabbani and hand India an early advantage.

The tie truly came alive in the second rubber, where Anahat Singh survived a stern test from Nour Heikal in a gripping five-game duel. Ranked 44 in the world, Heikal belied her ranking against world No. 22 Anahat, troubling the Indian with deep probing shots from the backcourt and a series of exquisite cross-court backhand winners.

The decisive moment arrived in the fifth game when Anahat, leading 5-3, took a brief injury timeout for her left hand. On resumption, she showed remarkable composure, stringing together crucial points to close out the game and the match 7-3, drawing loud cheers from the home crowd.

In the third rubber, Abhay Singh sealed India’s place in the final after a bruising 55-minute battle against Adam Hawal. The contest was marked by punishing length rallies and sustained intensity before Abhay prevailed in four hard-fought games.

Earlier in the day, Earlier, top seed Hong Kong entered the final despite being tied 2-2 with Japan, after the Asian teams won two matches each. Hong Kong advanced, thanks to winning more number of games (8) to Japan’s 7.

-K. Keerthivasan

BADMINTON

Odisha Masters 2025: Hooda, Isharani reach women’s final

Top seed Unnati Hooda and compatriot Isharani Baruah set up a women’s singles final clash at the Odisha Masters Super 100 after registering contrasting semifinal victories on Saturday.

The 18-year-old Hooda, a winner of the 2022 edition and 2023 Abu Dhabi Masters, was stretched by former junior world No. 1 Tasnim Mir before prevailing 18-21, 21-16, 21-16 in a hard-fought encounter that lasted an hour.

After conceding the opening game, Hooda raised her intensity, controlled the rallies better and showed superior temperament in the closing stages of the next two games to book her place in the final.

In the other semifinal, Assam’s Isharani produced a strong comeback to defeat Tanvi Hemanth 18-21, 21-7, 21-7.

In the men’s singles, second seed Kiran Geroge and Rounak Chouhan, who were part of India’s historic World Junior Championships medal-winning squad, will clash in the semifinal to decide the finalist.

In the mixed doubles semifinals, India’s S. Kanapuram and R. Uthayasooriyan bowed out after going down 16-21, 19-21 to fifth seeds Dejan Ferdinansyah and B. Wardana of Indonesia.

The Indonesian pair kept their composure in both games, handling pressure situations better to seal a straight-game victory and progress to the final.

-PTI

CRICKET

Madhya Pradesh government honours Blind Women’s T20 World Cup Winners

Dr. Mohan Yadav, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, has felicitated three players from the championship-winning Indian team from the Bind Women’s T20 World Cup. The state government announced a cash reward of Rs. 25 lakhs for each player, comprising Rs. 10 lakhs as a direct cheque and Rs. 15 lakhs as a Fixed Deposit, ensuring both immediate honour and long-term financial security for the athletes.

The honoured players from Madhya Pradesh—Sunita Sarathe, Sushma Patel, and Durga Yevle—have played a vital role in India’s historic World Cup triumph.

-Team Sportstar

Published on Dec 13, 2025