Hong Kong, Dec 14 (NationPress) With star player Velavan Senthilkumar staging a remarkable comeback against Henry Leung, the Indian men's squash team triumphed over the host nation, Hong Kong China, with a score of 2-0 in the playoffs on Saturday, culminating in a historic fifth-place finish at the World Squash Team Championships 2024. This achievement represents a significant milestone for the Indian team, marking their finest performance in this esteemed event.

The women's team concluded their campaign in seventh place after securing a close 2-1 victory against France in their last match of the competition.

All attention was focused on the Indian men's squad as they faced off against the hosts in the playoffs. Velavan Senthilkumar, ranked 45th in the world, made a stunning comeback to defeat world No. 44 Henry Leung with a score of 3-2 (12-10, 8-11, 5-11, 11-1, 11-8), giving India the initial lead.

Subsequently, Abhay Singh secured a convincing win for India by taking the second singles match. Abhay, who is ranked 54th globally, battled fiercely against world No. 40 Alex Lau in the first game before dominating the subsequent two games, resulting in a 3-0 (12-10, 11-7, 11-4) victory.

The Indian team had advanced to the knockout stage after finishing second in their preliminary group. They overcame Asian rivals Malaysia to reach the quarterfinals.

Unfortunately, the team was eliminated from medal contention after a loss to France in the quarterfinals. However, they rallied to defeat Germany in the 5-8 place playoffs before triumphing over Malaysia to secure fifth place.

The Indian women’s team performed admirably, winning two out of their three group matches to qualify for the knockout stage, where they achieved a notable upset against the nine-time champions, Australia, in the pre-quarterfinals.

Despite this, they faced defeat against the USA in the quarterfinals and subsequently lost to former champions England in their 5-8 playoff match, leading them to the 7-8 placement match.

Competing without national champion Anahat Singh, the Indian women’s team had to exert maximum effort in their playoff against France to secure the seventh position.

Akanksha Salunkhe, ranked 70th in the world, stunned world No. 46 Marie Stephan with a 3-0 (12-10, 11-9, 11-0) win, giving India an unexpected lead against France. However, France equalized with Enora Villard securing a 3-0 (11-0, 11-3, 11-5) victory over Nirupama Dubey in the second match.

In the deciding match, Anjali Semwal and Lauren Baltayan fought hard against the French duo, ultimately clinching the victory with a 3-2 (6-11, 11-8, 5-11, 14-12, 11-7) win.