Tandon, Singh To Headline India’s First-Ever PSA Copper Event
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Squash Makes A Return To Indian Shores
Back in August 2024, a major change was seen in the world of squash, with the Professional Squash Association (PSA) replacing World Tour tournaments with PSA World Events. The shift brought about the implementation of a new tier system - Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Copper - with the upcoming JSW Open being a copper event.
The JSW Open, which will play out between March 24 and 28, marks the first time that India will host a PSA copper event on their shores, and is the first time the country will hold any top squash competition since 2018 when Mumbai welcomed the CCI International - a PSA World Tour Silver tournament.
This year’s competition promises to be a fierce one, with India’s finest players, such as Ramit Tandon, Anahat Singh, Akanksha Salunke, Veer Chotrani and Velavan Senthilkumar, set to take on some of the best players from across Egypt, Canada, Malaysia and Japan. The prize pool allocated for the JSW Open is a staggering $40,000. Here’s a look at the key dates and seedings ahead of the tournament:
Key Dates and Tournament Draw
- Round 1: March 24
- Quarterfinals: March 26
- Semifinals: March 27
- Finals: March 28
| Seeding | Top Seeds: Men | Top Seeds: Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramit Tandon (IND) | Akanksha Salunkhe (IND) |
| 2 | Velavan Senthilkumar (IND) | Habiba Hani (EGY) |
| 3 | Karim El Hammamy (EGY) | Anahat Singh (IND) |
| 4 | Omar Mosaad (EGY) | Ching Hei Fung (HKG) |
| 5 | Simon Herbert (ENG) | Joshna Chinappa (IND) |
| 6 | Abhay Singh (IND) | Jacqueline Peychar (AUT) |
| 7 | Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) | Wai Yhann Au Yeong (MYS) |
| 8 | Moustafa Elsirty (EGY) | Barb Sameh (EGY) |
| 9 | Spencer Loverjoy (USA) | Salma El Alfy (EGY) |
| 10 | Veer Chotrani (IND) | Cristina Gomez (ESP) |
Take a look at SportyTrader's list of the best online betting sites for squash!
Indian Squash Stars Eye Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028
Squash will make its first-ever appearance as an Olympic Sport at the 2028 Olympics Games in Los Angeles and JSW Sports are making a bold statement with their competitions, allowing Indian players an opportunity to test their ability among their world’s best players while providing a platform to global exposure.
One such player who is relishing the opportunity to rub shoulders with the best in the world is India’s own Anahat Singh. The 17-year-old is one of the country’s brightest young stars and won a remarkable nine PSA Challenger titles in 2024, which propelled her to a career-best 82nd in the world ranking. In an interview ahead of the JSW Open, Anahat mentioned:
“I would love to be the face of India’s Olympic squash dreams. I think everyone is training with that in mind. It’s every athlete’s dream to be at the Olympics and win a medal for their country.”
Singh currently trains with some of India’s top senior players, including the likes of Joshna Chinappa, Dipika Pallikal and Saurav Ghosal. Under the guidance of Goshal, she kicked off 2025 on a spectacular note, winning the British Junior Open Under-17 title in January against Malika El Karaksy at the University of Birmingham.
