Asian Jr Squash: Hridhaan Shah stuns Malaysian top seed in U-17 pre-quarters
Synopsis
Hridhaan Shah came back from a game down to topple Malaysia's top seed at the Asian Junior Squash Championships in Panzhihua — and that was just one headline in a day that saw India flood the quarterfinals across boys' and girls' U-13, U-15, U-17, and U-19 categories. The breadth of the advance signals a genuine depth surge in Indian junior squash.
Key Takeaways
Hridhaan Shah defeated Malaysian top seed Muhammad Haiqal Hazim Bin Syarudin 11-13, 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 in the boys' U-17 pre-quarters at Panzhihua, China .
Three Indians — Hridhaan Shah , Lokesh Subramani , and Shiven Agarwal — reached the boys' U-17 quarterfinals; Hridhaan faces Lokesh next.
Aryaveer Dewan , Gurveer Singh , and Yusha Nafees all advanced in boys' U-19 with straight-game wins.
India has quarterfinalists across six age-group categories at the 33rd Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships .
Shiven Agarwal recovered from 2-0 down to win a five-game thriller 3-11, 10-12, 13-11, 11-8, 11-9 against Malaysia's Sim Yeak Wei.
India's Hridhaan Shah delivered one of the standout results of the 33rd Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships on Thursday, defeating Malaysian top seed Muhammad Haiqal Hazim Bin Syarudin 11-13, 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 in the boys' U-17 pre-quarterfinals at Panzhihua, China. The win, which came after dropping the opening game, underlines India's growing depth in junior squash on the continental stage.
India's U-17 Quarterfinal Line-Up
Hridhaan's victory sets up an all-India quarterfinal clash — he will next face compatriot Lokesh Subramani, who also progressed from the pre-quarters. Shiven Agarwal completed a hat-trick of Indian qualifiers in the boys' U-17 draw, recovering from two games down to beat Sim Yeak Wei of Malaysia 3-11, 10-12, 13-11, 11-8, 11-9 in a five-game thriller. On the girls' side, Anika Dubey advanced to the U-17 quarterfinals.
U-19 and Younger Categories: India's Broad Advance
In the boys' U-19 category, Aryaveer Dewan, Gurveer Singh, and Yusha Nafees all reached the quarterfinals with straight-game victories. Unnati Tripathi kept India's girls' U-19 hopes alive with a 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 win over Japan's Akira Nakajima.
In the younger age groups, Abhyuday Arora, Dhairya Gogia, and Amarya Bajaj reached the boys' U-13 last eight, while Alia Kankaria, Shanaya Parasrampuria, and Divyanshi Jain did so in girls' U-13. Shresht Iyer and Dhruv Bopana progressed in boys' U-15, and Aadya Budhia in girls' U-15.
Notable Results and Setbacks
Not all Indians made it through. Raghav Vashistha fell to Malaysia's second seed Muhammad Raziq Putra in a tight five-game contest, while Saanvi Kalanki, Riyansika Verma, and Diva Shah were eliminated in girls' U-17. In girls' U-19, Akanksha Gupta, Vyomika Khandelwal, and Eesha Shrivastava also exited at the pre-quarter stage.
Full Pre-Quarterfinal Results Involving Indians
U-13 Boys: Md Mustafa Khan (Pak) bt 5/8-Aaron Arambhan 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6; 3/4-Abhyuday Arora bt L Chandrasekaran (Mas) 11-5, 11-5, 11-5; Dhairya Gogia bt Li Jiaqi (Chn) 11-4, 11-4, 11-2; 3/4-Amarya Bajaj bt Kel Dameer Norifaizal (Mas) 11-8, 13-11, 11-3.
U-13 Girls: 5/8-Alia Kankaria bt Sel Nuie Chew (Mas) 12-10, 11-8, 11-5; 3/4-Shanaya Parasrampuria bt Kul Arissa Sheikh (Mas) 22-24, 12-10, 11-5, 11-4; Kareena Sashikumar (SGP) bt Riyaa Dalal 11-7, 11-6, 11-7; 2-Divyanshi Jain bt Sayuri De Silva (SL) 11-3, 11-1, 11-0.
U-15 Boys: 2-Shresht Iyer bt Junya Fujita (Jpn) 11-7, 11-8, 11-5; Md Sohail Adan (Pak) bt Dhruv Johri 11-6, 13-11, 11-3; 5/8-Dhruv Bopana bt Wayne Wilson (Mas) 11-6, 11-6, 11-7.
U-15 Girls: 1-Ziyuan Yin (Chn) bt M Goushika 6-11, 11-7, 11-6, 13-11; Makaela Lin Cassidy (HK) bt Vasundhara Nangare 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-6; 3/4-Aadya Budhia bt Sierra Chi Cheng Cao (Mac) 6-11, 11-4, 11-5, 11-4.
U-17 Boys: Hridhaan Shah bt 1-Muhammad Haiqal Hazim Bin Syarudin (Mas) 11-13, 11-5, 11-4, 11-7; 5/8-Lokesh Subramani bt Jonghyun Yoon (Kor) 11-8, 11-1, 11-5; 5/8-Shiven Agarwal bt Sim Yeak Wei (Mas) 3-11, 10-12, 13-11, 11-8, 11-9; 2-Muhammad Raziq Putra (Mas) bt Raghav Vashistha 11-6, 8-11, 8-11, 11-3, 12-10.
U-17 Girls: 3/4-Anika Dubey bt Tang Lok Yin (HK) 9-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-2; Ooi Wen Min (Mas) bt Saanvi Kalanki 7-11, 11-5, 11-1, 11-8; 3/4-Pui Yin Chloe (HK) bt Riyansika Verma 11-7, 11-7, 11-3; Yek Rui Jean (Mas) bt Diva Shah 1-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-4.
U-19 Boys: 3/4-Aryaveer Dewan bt Lau Pak To (HK) 11-4, 11-3, 11-2; Gurveer Singh bt Sallam A Sufian (Mas) 11-4, 11-7, 11-2; Yusha Nafees bt Khairil Fariz (Mas) 11-4, 11-9, 11-4.
U-19 Girls: Unnati Tripathi bt Akira Nakajima (Jpn) 11-5, 11-4, 11-5; Whitney Wilson (Mas) bt Akanksha Gupta 11-5, 11-6, 11-2; Ena Kwong (HK) bt Vyomika Khandelwal 11-3, 11-0, 11-1; 2-Helen Tang (HK) bt Eesha Shrivastava 11-5, 11-5, 11-4.
With multiple Indians now in the quarterfinals across six categories, the next round will reveal how far this generation can go at the Asian level.
Point of View
Suggesting mental toughness beyond age-group averages. The all-India U-17 quarterfinal between Hridhaan and Lokesh Subramani is the kind of internal competition that sharpens elite pipelines. Whether this generation converts continental promise into senior-circuit results will be the real measure of Indian squash's upward trajectory.
NationPress
11 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Hridhaan Shah and what did he achieve at the Asian Junior Squash Championships?
Hridhaan Shah is an Indian junior squash player who defeated Malaysian top seed Muhammad Haiqal Hazim Bin Syarudin 11-13, 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 in the boys' U-17 pre-quarterfinals at the 33rd Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in Panzhihua, China. He came back after losing the first game to seal a commanding win.
Where and when is the 33rd Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships being held?
The 33rd Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships is being held in Panzhihua, China. The pre-quarterfinal round involving Indian players took place on Thursday, 22 May 2025.
Which Indians advanced to the quarterfinals at the Asian Junior Squash Championships?
India has quarterfinalists across six categories: Hridhaan Shah, Lokesh Subramani, and Shiven Agarwal in boys' U-17; Aryaveer Dewan, Gurveer Singh, and Yusha Nafees in boys' U-19; Abhyuday Arora, Dhairya Gogia, and Amarya Bajaj in boys' U-13; Alia Kankaria, Shanaya Parasrampuria, and Divyanshi Jain in girls' U-13; Shresht Iyer and Dhruv Bopana in boys' U-15; Aadya Budhia in girls' U-15; Anika Dubey in girls' U-17; and Unnati Tripathi in girls' U-19.
Who does Hridhaan Shah play in the U-17 quarterfinals?
Hridhaan Shah will face compatriot Lokesh Subramani in the boys' U-17 quarterfinals, setting up an all-India contest at the Asian Junior Squash Championships.
Did all Indian players progress from the pre-quarterfinals?
No. Several Indians were eliminated in the pre-quarterfinals, including Raghav Vashistha in boys' U-17, and Saanvi Kalanki, Riyansika Verma, and Diva Shah in girls' U-17. In girls' U-19, Akanksha Gupta, Vyomika Khandelwal, and Eesha Shrivastava also exited at this stage.
