Rowan damming

Western India Slam: The top seeds Viktor Byrtus and Akanksha Salukkhe scored hard-fought 3-2 victories in their respective men’s and women’s semifinal matches of the 79th Western India Slam, a USD 9,000 prize-money Professional Squash Association (PSA) Challenger event being played at the CCI courts here on Saturday.

The Czech number one Byrtus had quite a fight on hand before he overcame Netherlands' fourth seed Rowan Damming 7-11, 11-9, 11-5, 1-11, and 11-8 in a well-contested encounter. On Friday, Byrtus easily defeated seventh seed Hong Kong’s Wailok To 11-6, 11-3, and 11-5.

In the women's section, top seed Akanksha Salunkhe of India also encountered a strong challenge from Egypt's fifth seed Jana Swaify before clinching an 11-5, 12-14, 15-13, 5-11, and 12-10 in a tight game.