Challenger tour

Western India Squash Slam: Defending champion and India’s firm favourite Anahat Singh asserted her dominance to tame top-seeded compatriot Akanksha Salunkhe to win the Western India Slam 2024, a USD 9,000 prize-money Professional Squash Association (PSA) Challenger event, women’s singles title at the Cricket Club of India courts in Mumbai on Sunday.

The second seed Anahat outclassed Akanksha 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-8) in just 25 minutes. With the win, the 16-year-old picked up her ninth PSA Challenger title of the year after securing her first win over Akanksha Salunkhe, world No. 70, in a PSA event. In their previous encounter in the ACE Challenger Tour 12k quarter-finals earlier this year, Akanksha defeated the teenager.

In the men's singles final, second seed Malaysian Ameeshenraj Chandaran defeated the number one seed Viktor Byrtus of the Czech Republic 3-1 (15-13, 6-11, 11-5, and 11-3) in a gruelling 60-minute encounter.