The first edition of ‘IIT Gandhinagar Squash Open’, jointly organised by the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI), and All Gujarat Squash Racquet Association, concluded at IITGN’s ultramodern Sports Complex on August 21, 2022.
As many as 243 squash players from all over the country participated in the five-day national-level tournament, which commenced on August 17, 2022. The tournament was played by athletes in 13 different categories, including Men; Women; Men Over (MO) 35 and 45; Girls Under (GU) 11, 13, 15, and 19; and Boys Under (BU) 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19.
Navaneeth Prabhu S, a seed 1 player, emerged as the winner in Men’s category by defeating Adarsh Banodha by 11-6, 12-10, and 11-6 in the final playoff. The Women’s category trophy was lifted by Sanika Choudhari, who defeated seed 3/4 player Neaketa Chawla by 11-4, 11-1, and 11-0 in the final match. The Men Over (MO) 35 and 45 category trophies were bagged by Ashish Keskar and Saurab Nayar, respectively. Anika Kalanki, Diva Shah, Sehar Nayar, and Shameena Riaz (all players with a seed score) won in Girls Under (GU) 11, 13, 15, and 19 categories, respectively. Fareed Andrabi, Lokesh Subramani, Dev Sharma, Tavneet Singh Mundra, and Sharan Punjabi (all players with a seed score) won in Boys Under (BU) 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 categories, respectively.
The world-class Sports Complex of IITGN houses three glass backcourts for squash with wooden floors, which are built as per World Squash Federation guidelines. The tournament was registered under the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI), the apex body for squash in India, and was sponsored by Tea Post, Madhuvan, Netweb, and Raj Info. The winners were awarded trophies by Prof Sivapriya Kirubakaran, Dean, Student Affairs and Prof Jaison Manjaly, Head of Sports, IITGN, in a closing ceremony held at the Institute Sports Complex. The tournament trophies were designed in the shape of the iconic Lal Minar of IITGN to make it more memorable. Mr Vikrant Kanade helped IITGN manage this event.
The national circuit tournament, which was played in a knockout format, followed by playoffs between the top eight players, garnered an enthusiastic response from squash and sports enthusiasts. IIT Gandhinagar Squash Open also contributed directly to the National Squash Ranking List, and participating players received national ranking points based on their performance.