Jaipur, Sep 6 Promising youngster Yusha Nafees, who played a key role in helping the Indian boys’ team win bronze at the Asian Junior Team Championships earlier this year, underlined his growing potential by clinching the boys’ U-19 crown in the Indian Junior Open Squash Championships in Jaipur on Saturday.
Playing at the Rajasthan Squash Academy, Nafees showcased remarkable grit as he rallied from two games down to beat Rachit Shah in a five-game thriller. After conceding the opening two games 8-11, 5-11, Nafees bounced back strongly to win the next three 11-8, 11-5, 11-2 and seal the title in front of a packed home crowd.
The week-long premier competition, which attracted an impressive 520 entries across 12 events, witnessed high-quality squash from India’s brightest young talents. Adding to the host nation’s success, Rudra Singh clinched the girls’ U-19 title, overcoming Vyomika Khandelwal 11-7, 13-11, 11-2 in straight games. Singh’s dominance, particularly in the second game where she held her nerve in a tight finish, underlined her composure and maturity at the highest junior level.
In the other finals, Subhash Choudhary, the top seed in the boys’ U-17 category, defeated Raghav Vashishtha 11-8, 11-4, 10-12, 11-2, while Sehar Nayar, seeded 3/4, lived up to her billing with a 12-10, 11-1, 11-6 victory over Saanvi Kalanki in the girls’ U-17 event.
Top seed Shreyansh Jha continued his fine run by claiming the boys’ U-15 crown with a 14-12, 11-5, 11-8 win against Harshal Rana, while unseeded Aadya Budhia stunned top seed Vasundhara Nangare in the girls’ U-15 final, triumphing 12-10, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7.
There were more standout results in the younger age groups. Shayan Samtani dominated the boys’ U-13 final with an 11-5, 11-2, 12-10 win over Abhyuday Arora, while Shanaya Parasrampuria impressed in the girls’ U-13 final, defeating Nandikasree Kalaivanan 11-7, 11-7, 11-6.
In the boys’ U-11, K. Haribala held off top seed Tilakvir Kapoor 11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 6-11, 11-9 in a nail-biter, and Alia Kankaria edged past top seed Keerti Pradha Junivar Bala 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 16-14 in the girls’ U-11 division.
The youngest champions crowned were Amaay Mahajan in the boys’ U-9, who beat Darsh Mehrotra 13-11, 11-6, 11-6, and K Tulasi Mira in the girls’ U-9, who overcame Lakshanya Rajawat 12-10, 11-6, 11-4.
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