Arihant K.S. and Pooja Arthi Raghu progressed to the next round of the HCL Squash PSA Challenger Tour event in Kolkata on 10 August, as Indian players dominated the opening-round action across both men's and women's draws.

Arihant Powers Through in Men's Draw

Arihant K.S. overcame a mid-match wobble to defeat Switzerland's Leandro Mannhart 11-6, 9-11, 13-11, 11-4 in the men's singles first round. After dropping the second game, Arihant steadied in a tense third before closing out comfortably in the fourth. The win keeps Indian hopes alive in a men's section where fourth-seeded Suraj Kumar Chand and eighth-ranked Om Semwal are the primary title contenders. Rahul Baitha and Sandhesh Palanivel Ravikumar, just outside the top 10, also advanced on the day.

Pooja Raghu Fights Back in Women's Contest

In the women's draw, Pooja Arthi Raghu produced a gritty five-game comeback, rallying from a first-game deficit to beat Kaashvi Mangal 13-15, 11-6, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9. The match went the distance before Raghu held her nerve in the decider. Fellow Indians Ananya Narayanan and Vasundhara Nangare also advanced — Narayanan defeating Aahana Singh 8-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-8, while Nangare was dominant against compatriot Janet Vidhi, winning 11-8, 11-5, 11-5.

India's Seedings and Title Prospects

On the women's side, Tanvi Khanna carries the top seed, with Rathika Suthanthira Seelan and Akanksha Salunke seeded fifth and sixth respectively. Nirupama Dubey is seeded seventh, and Unnati Tripathi is among the other Indians inside the top 10. The depth of Indian representation across both draws underscores the country's growing strength on the PSA Challenger circuit.

Tournament Context and Prize Money

The HCL Squash PSA Challenger Tour carries a prize fund of $9,000 each in the men's and women's sections. The Kolkata leg follows earlier stops in Indore, Mumbai, and Chennai, making it the fourth event on the domestic circuit leg. With several seeded Indians still in contention, the later rounds are set to feature competitive all-Indian clashes alongside international challenges.

Full First-Round Results

Men: Hassan Menshawy (Egypt) bt Vedant Patel 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6; Ravi Dixit bt Pardeep Malik 11-8, 11-8, 11-6; Arihant KS bt Leandro Mannhart (Switzerland) 11-6, 9-11, 13-11, 11-4; Sandhesh Palanivel Ravikumar bt Harshal Rana 11-9, 12-10, 11-9; Fabian Igelbrink (Germany) bt Adarsh Banodha 11-6, 11-5, 11-8; Rahul Baitha bt Rounak Yadav 11-6, 11-5, 11-9; Deepak Mandal bt Miguel Mathis (Switzerland) 11-7, 11-5, 4-11, 11-4; Shaurya Bawa bt Mohit Bhatt 11-4, 9-11, 11-4, 11-2.

Women: Pooja Arthi Raghu bt Kaashvi Mangal 13-15, 11-6, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9; Reiva Nimbalkar bt Arnaa Dwivedi 11-5, 11-8, 11-8; Ananya Narayanan bt Aahana Singh 8-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-8; Anjali Semwal bt Bria Sharma 11-7, 11-1, 11-6; Vyomika Khandelwal bt Goushika M (retired); Vasundhara Nangare bt Janet Vidhi 11-8, 11-5, 11-5; Anika Dubey bt Aryaa Dwivedi 11-9, 11-7, 11-6; Sahana Kalaivanan bt Rani Gupta 11-1, 11-2, 11-2.