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India's Velavan Senthilkumar bagged silver in the men's singles category in the 2023 Asian Individual Squash Championships in Hong Kong on Saturday, June 10.
The 25-year-old, who is only the second Indian man in history to enter the finals of the tournament, lost 0-3 against the top seed Ng Eain Yow. The Malaysian won the final in straight games and took 34 minutes to seal the victory against the Indian star.
Indian veteran Saurav Ghosal was the first Indian to make it to the final of the Asian Individual Squash Championship. He reached the final of the tournament in 2017, where he ended as the runner-up. However, Ghosal did a step better in 2019, when he won the Asian Individual championships.
Velavan could've become the second Indian to win the championship, but he seemed nowhere at his best in the final. Despite a good run in the tournament, the unseeded star surrendered himself to the defending champion Ng Eain Yow, who proved too good for the Indian. He lost the contest 4-11, 5-11, 6-11.
Ng Eain Yow is currently ranked 17th in the world, and this is his second tournament victory in 2023. Earlier, the Malaysian star won the Irish Open. He has played 24 matches and has won 17 out of them in 2023.
Velavan Senthilkumar's Dream 2023
The Chennai-born Velavan Senthilkumar is having a good 2023 so far. In March 2023, he won Poznan Open. The PSA Challenger tour, which was held in Poland, witnessed the Indians defeat the No. 1 seed Rowan Damming.
He continued his dream run by winning yet another PSA Challenger Tour in April. The sixth-seeded Indian defeated the fourth-seeded Sam Buckley in the final. In 2023, Velavan played 15 matches and lost only twice.
His second loss of the season was today, and his first loss was against 19-year-old Finnlay Withington in the first round of the Austrian Open.
