Published: May 9, 2026 at 9:23 am
Veer Chotrani came from 1-2 down to stun compatriot Abhay Singh in a hard-fought opening round encounter at the PSA World Squash Championships 2026 in Giza, Egypt, on Friday. World No. 45 Veer defeated Abhay, who is ranked 22nd, 3-2 (14-12, 8-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-2), at the Palm Hills Club and PGC Golf Central Mall to secure his passage into the second round.
After edging Asian Games medallist Abhay in a tight tie-break in the opening game, Veer found himself with his back against the wall after losing the next two. However, he fought back from the brink against his fellow countryman by winning the next two games and advancing to the second round.
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This was Veer’s second victory over Abhay, who is India’s top-ranked men’s player, in three matches between the pair. He will face defending champion and world No. 1 Mostafa Asal of Egypt in the second round.
Velavan and Ramit go down in first round
The other two Indians in the competition, Velavan Senthilkumar and Ramit Tandon lost their opening round matches on Saturday. Velavan Senthilkumar, 50th in the squash rankings, lost to France’s sixth seed and current world No. 5 Victor Crouin by a 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-3) scoreline at the Palm Hills Club and PGC Golf Central Mall.
This was the 33-year-old Indian’s third loss against his French opponent in as many meetings on the squash court.
Crouin is a two-time World Games singles champion and has helped France bag two bronze medals at the World Team Championships.
Meanwhile, world No. 40 Ramit Tandon went down against Egypt’s Kareem El Torkey – a player ranked 19 places better off – by a 3-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-6, 11-0) margin. This was the first-ever meeting between the two players on the PSA circuit.
Victor Crouin and Kareem El Torkey will face each other in the second round.
Asal eases past Kandra
Meanwhile, World No.1 Mostafa Asal got his title defence under way with a comfortable 3-0 triumph against German veteran Raphael Kandra. “I’m feeling good, I’m here to compete and to take the title home again,” Asal said afterwards.
“It makes a huge difference. All of my friends and family are here. It’s a big push and a big bonus for me. It’s always a good match against Raphael, he’s always entertaining, and I’m really happy with this first round win,” he added.
Mostafa Asal got his title defence under way with a comfortable 3-0 triumph against German veteran Raphael Kandra at the PSA World Squash Championships 2026 in Giza, Egypt, on Friday. Pics: PSA Squash Tour
Asal will be joined in round two by arch-rival Diego Elias, who got the better of England’s Nick Wall in straight games in the final match of the night. Elias beat Asal in the 2024 final and ended the Egyptian’s 27-match unbeaten run last month in El Gouna. The pair are seeded to meet in the semi-finals this week, but will need to beat India’s Veer Chotrani (Asal) and Argentina’s Jeremias Azaña (Elias) in the last 32 first.
“I’m feeling good, it’s the biggest tournament of the year,” said Elias. “From the first point, I have to be at 100%. I’m feeling good, so hopefully this week goes well. Usually, it’s a bit hotter out here, but it’s actually quite cold. It should get warmer as the event goes on this week.”
In other matches, World junior champion Mohamad Zakaria beat Asal’s younger brother Marwan, while No.5 seed Joel Makin also advanced, beating Muhammad Asim Khan.
Debutant Baltayan upsets Turmel
In the women’s section, France’s World No.50 Lauren Baltayan secured her first win after an impressive performance saw her upset World No.28 Lucy Turmel. Cairo-born Baltayan was making her debut at the sport’s most distinguished tournament but showed no nerves on the biggest stage as she entertained fans during a 12-10, 11-6, 11-13, 11-7 win which saw her pull off some impressive dives around the court.
France’s World No.50 Lauren Baltayan secured her first win after an impressive performance saw her upset World No.28 Lucy Turmel
“I’m feeling amazing, you don’t get to be on a glass court like this every day,” said Baltayan afterwards. “I was very nervous at the beginning, but then I started feeling better as the matches went on and started playing more freely. It’s a step in the right direction, I train every day for moments like this. I’m very happy to be able to get into the second round and I’m happy to have my family and friends here, having them here is a huge motivation for me. I’m grateful to have this strong support system around me.
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“All of the work that I’m putting in is starting to show now. In matches like this, I don’t have any pressure on me. I’m just gaining more experience and learning more about these matches. These are the matches I want. They’re helping me grow,” she said.
Hania stretched by Ruqayya
Baltayan will take on Japan’s Satomi Watanabe in the next round after she beat Haya Ali in straight games, while World No.1 Hania El Hammamy had to be on her mettle as she recovered from dropping the first game against 17-year-old surprise package Ruqayya Salem.
World No.1 Hania El Hammamy had to be on her mettle as she recovered from dropping the first game against 17-year-old surprise package Ruqayya Salem
Ruqayya was also making her first appearance at this tournament after winning the Africa qualifying event and, like Baltayan, looked comfortable on court against a higher-ranked opponent.
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El Hammamy, aiming to win her first World Championship trophy this week, was able to halt her opponent’s momentum though and took the next three games without reply to secure her spot in the last 32. “Ruqayya is very attacking, I have never played her before and I couldn’t find any clips of her playing to study beforehand,” El Hammamy said.
“The preparation is a bit hard when you’ve never seen them play. She takes every shot short, so whenever my length went a bit short, she was firing it in, and it was really high quality. It was hard for me to keep digging and find a way to get through,” she added.
Results: Men’s first round: 1-Mostafa Asal (EGY) beat Raphael Kandra (GER) 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-6); Veer Chotrani (IND) beat 25-Abhay Singh (IND) 3-2 (14-12, 8-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-2); 22-Curtis Malik (ENG) beat Henry Leung (HKG) 3-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-5); 13-Leonel Cardenas (MEX) beat Viktor Byrtus (CZE) 3-0 (11-4, 17-15, 11-6); 12-Aly Abou Eleinen (EGY) beat Mohamed ElSherbini (EGY) 3-1 (9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-2); 29-Juan Vargas (COL) beat Salman Khalil (EGY) 3-2 (12-10, 3-11, 11-3, 5-11, 11-5); 23-Miguel Rodriguez (COL) beat Matias Knudsen (COL) 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-4); 5-Joel Makin (WAL) beat Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) 3-0 (11-1, 11-3, 11-2); 8-Mohamad Zakaria (EGY) beat Marwan Mahmoud Assal (EGY) 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-3); 30-Noor Zaman (PAK) beat Adam Hawal (EGY) 3-2 (11-9, 5-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8); 17-Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) beat Ivan Perez (ESP) 3-2 (9-11, 11-4, 15-13, 7-11, 11-6); 15-Fares Dessouky (EGY) beat Auguste Dussourd (FRA) 3-0 (11-9, 12-10, 11-8); 16-Gregoire Marche (FRA) beat Simon Herbert (ENG) 3-1 (3-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8); 24-Yahya Elnawasany (EGY) beat Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-4); Jeremias Azaña (ARG) beat 32-Bernat Jaume (ESP) 3-1 (12-10, 11-4, 7-11, 11-4); 3-Diego Elias (PER) beat Nick Wall (ENG) 3-0 (11-2, 11-1, 11-6).
Women’s first round: 1-Hania El Hammamy (EGY) beat Ruqayya Salem (EGY) 3-1 (10-12, 11-5, 11-3, 11-8); Caroline Fouts (USA) beat 23-Georgia Adderley (SCO) 3-2 (9-11, 11-5, 11-1, 8-11, 11-6); 30-Sin Yuk Chan (HKG) beat Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-7); 14-Marina Stefanoni (USA) beat Alicia Mead (ENG) 3-1 (10-12, 11-8, 11-2, 11-4); 9-Tinne Gilis (BEL) beat Katie Malliff (ENG) 3-1 (11-3, 11-4, 9-11, 11-5); 26-Aifa Azman (MAS) beat Nicole Bunyan (CAN) 3-2 (7-11, 11-5, 10-12, 12-10, 11-3); 19-Aira Azman (MAS) beat Ka Yi Lee (HKG) 3-2 (11-8, 10-12, 11-13, 11-6, 11-9); 5-Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) beat Marie Stephan (FRA) 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-4); 6-Satomi Watanabe (JPN) beat Haya Ali (EGY) 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-8); Lauren Baltayan (FRA) beat 29-Lucy Turmel (ENG) 3-1 (12-10, 11-6, 11-13, 11-7); 28-Hana Ramadan (EGY) beat Ainaa Amani (MAS) 3-2 (9-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9); 13-Nada Abbas (EGY) beat Kaitlyn Watts (NZL) 3-2 (11-8, 4-11, 10-12, 11-3, 11-5); 15-Jasmine Hutton (ENG) beat Torrie Malik (ENG) 3-1 (13-15, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8); 18-Farida Mohamed (EGY) beat Amina El Rihany (EGY) 3-1 (10-12, 11-6, 11-6, 11-2); Nour Heikal (EGY) beat 21-Malak Khafagy (EGY) 3-0 (11-5, 12-10, 11-9); 3-Amina Orfi (EGY) beat Saran Nghiem (ENG) 3-0 (11-2, 11-5, 11-7).
