The only Indian left in the contention, Velavan Senthilkumar, entered the men’s singles semi-finals at the Asian Squash Championships with a straight-game win. Senthilkumar, ranked 45^th, defeated Malaysia’s world No. 196 Joachim Chuah 3-0 (11-7 11-6 11-6) in the quarterfinal. He will face second-seeded Lau Tsz Kwan of Hong Kong in the semifinal.

The Indian had won a silver medal in the last edition of Asian Squash Championships in 2023 after losing to Malaysian Ng Eain Yow. Thursday’s victory confirmed a medal for Senthilkumar as both the losing semifinalists will secure a bronze. Senthilkumar is yet to drop a game in this tournament.

Among other Indians participating in the competition, Diwarkar Singh and Rahul Baitha had failed to progress beyond the men’s round of 32, while Suraj Chand lost in the pre-quarterfinals.