Chennai, Oct 31 (NationPress) Arihant K.S. from Tamil Nadu and qualifier Anika Dubey of Maharashtra have emerged victorious as the Under-19 boys' and girls' champions, respectively, at the Sub-Junior & Junior National Squash Championships held at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai this past Friday.

The tournament, which spanned a week, showcased an impressive 623 young talents across ten age categories, featuring numerous exciting matches, culminating in a showcase of skill by both Arihant and Anika.

As the top seed, Arihant showcased his prowess throughout the tournament, defeating second seed Yusha Nafees from Uttar Pradesh with scores of 11-8, 12-10, 10-12, and 11-5 in a thrilling final that highlighted the talent of two of India’s most promising junior players.

Both champions were part of the Indian squad that secured a bronze medal at the World Junior Team Championships in Egypt earlier this year, and their synergy was evident in the high-caliber exchanges that captivated the Chennai audience.

Arihant maintained his composure during critical moments, particularly in the second and fourth games, to clinch the title and affirm his rising profile in junior squash.

In the girls' Under-19 division, Anika Dubey, a two-time national champion in the U-15 category from Maharashtra, made a remarkable comeback to win the title after opting out of the U-17 category to participate in the senior division.

Having come through the qualifiers, Anika achieved significant upsets against higher-ranked opponents leading to the final, where she triumphed over fellow state player Akanksha Gupta with scores of 11-5, 11-8, and 11-8. Her assertive playing style and composure during tense moments were key to her first U-19 national title.

In other noteworthy results, Aadya Budhia from Jharkhand retained her U-15 girls' title by defeating Goushika M of Tamil Nadu in a fiercely contested four-game final. In the U-17 girls' category, Aradhya Porwal from Delhi overcame a game deficit to beat Sehar Nayar from Chandigarh.

The U-13 girls' title was claimed by Divyanshi Jain from Rajasthan, while Alia Kankaria from West Bengal triumphed in the U-11 category. Notable winners among boys included Aryan SK from Karnataka, Abhyuday Arora from Delhi, Harshal Rana from Haryana, and Aryaveer Dewan from Delhi, who won the U-11, U-13, U-15, and U-17 titles respectively.

The trophies were presented by Rahul Ramachandran, vice president of the Tamil Nadu Squash Rackets Association, with Cyrus Poncha, secretary-general of SRFI, commending the contributions of SAI, MYAS, SDAT, TNSRA, ISA, Dunlop, and the Centre of Sports Science for their support in successfully organizing the championships.