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Squash Nationals: Anahat, Velavan crowned national champions
While Anahat raced to a commanding win against Akanksha Salunkhe, Velavan had to dig deep to beat top seed Abhay Singh
New Delhi: Anahat Singh romped to her third successive Nationals title while Velavan Senthilkumar prevailed over Abhay Singh for his second crown at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium here on Thursday.
While Anahat’s win was on expected lines — she has been unchallenged on the domestic circuit for a few years now — Velavan’s victory over Abhay, his doubles partner, was an attritional examination of grit and skills.
Both summit clashes were a repeat of 2024 Nationals finals, and while Anahat defended her title with customary ease, Abhay, who had bested Velavan then, was undone by the latter’s seemingly endless variety and court craft.
Up against the talented Akanksha Salunkhe who had dumped Joshna Chinappa in the semis, Anahat wrapped up the match with a 3-0 scoreline (11-7, 11-6, 11-4) without breaking a sweat. Such was Anahat’s dominance that Salunkhe, who is a feisty, combative character on court, barely got any momentum going.
The 17-year-old hit her straps early, mixing her touch play with power strokes. She glided across the court with grace and authority, retrieving everything Salunkhe threw at her and dished out an enviable array of strokes that left her challenger flummoxed.
On more than one occasion, Anahat drew Salunkhe to the front court before gently lobbing a return that would tantalisingly evade her. And when she deemed right, Anahat would pin Salunkhe to the back court before hitting one high and slow to disrupt her rhythm.
Cheered on by a partisan crowd and with mentor Saurav Ghosal and coach Stephane Galifi firmly in her corner, Anahat cruised to the title in 35 minutes.
“I have played her a number of times, so I knew what I had to do. I had come prepared and thankfully I was able to execute,” she said after the win.
Velavan’s 3-1 win, by contrast, was dogged and determined. Having played Abhay a number of times in domestic meets, the challenge to outwit the Asian Games men’s team gold medallist was immense. Velavan replied with a deft use of angles to systematically neutralise Abhay’s power game.
Unlike Anahat, he did not run away with the match, but had enough mental, physical and technical reserves to get the better of the top seed. The only time Velavan slacked was for a brief passage in the third game and Abhay used the opportunity to take it 11-4. In the end, a scoreline of 11-8, 11-9, 4-11, 11-8 was a fair reflection of the tense battle.
“Every single time we play, it’s a different kind of pressure. This was the fourth Nationals final between us. Both of our games are really evolving, but we still manage to surprise each other on the court,” the 27-year-old said.
Hailing from Chennai, Velavan completed his degree in psychology from Columbia University in 2022. He currently trains under former world No.1 Aussie David Palmer in Cornell University, shuttling his time between Chennai and US.
Having picked up the sport aged 9, Velavan is an avid tennis watcher and identifies himself as a Roger Federer fan. While comparing his game to that of the Swiss great will be unfair, the southpaw did bring out a fair share of delectable backhand sliced drops that left Abhay gasping.
