India eagerly welcomed the Indian Open, marking the return of international squash to its courts with an exhilarating day of matches at the Bombay Gymkhana on Monday. Tanvi Khanna emerged as a highlight for India, while the Egyptian players celebrated six victories in the country’s inaugural PSA Squash Copper tournament.

The first day of the JSW Indian Open began with Hong Kong’s Helen Tang facing off against Japan’s Erisa Sano Herring. The match lasted 35 minutes, with Tang displaying her skills to secure a 3-1 victory (11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8) and advance to the second round.

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Next on the court was India’s Nirupama Dubey, who faced the Egyptian Nour Ramy. After a hard-fought battle lasting 50 minutes, Dubey equalized the match at 2-2, but ultimately, Ramy claimed a 3-2 victory (11-7, 11-1, 5-11, 8-11, 11-7).

In the first men’s match of the day, Colombian Matias Knudsen easily triumphed over Malaysian Mohammad Syafiq Kamal, winning 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-5) in just over half an hour.

Following that, Egypt’s Ziad Ibrahim faced Switzerland’s David Bernet in their first-ever encounter. The match was closely contested for almost an hour, but Ibrahim emerged victorious with a 3-1 win (11-8, 12-14, 11-9, 11-8).

The second round of matches began after a short break, with Egypt’s Salma El Alfy battling Japan’s Risa Sugimoto. Sugimoto struggled to gain momentum, allowing El Alfy to win decisively in 34 minutes, with a score of 3-1 (6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-9).

This was followed by a dominant performance from Egyptian Malak Fathy, who defeated French player Lea Barbeau in just 23 minutes with a score of 3-0 (11-6, 11-2, 11-7).

The Malaysian duo of Ameeshenraj Chandaran and Duncan Lee then took to the court for a 45-minute match, where Chandaran emerged victorious with a 3-1 win (9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-3).

France’s Melvil Scianimanico and Spain’s Ivan Perez entertained the audience in a riveting match, with Scianimanico ultimately winning 3-1 (11-7, 11-9, 3-11, 12-10) after 53 minutes of intense play.

Egyptian Nadien Elhammamy continued the trend of quick victories, defeating Holland’s Tessa ter Sluis 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-6) in just 23 minutes. Spain’s Cristina Gomez also impressively won against India’s Anjali Semwal 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-8) in 22 minutes.

8th seed Veer Chotrani then began his campaign with a match against fellow Indian Suraj Kumar Chand. Chotrani demonstrated why he is seen as a rising star, finishing the match in 30 minutes with a 3-0 scoreline (11-6, 11-7, 11-2).

However, Om Semwal faced a tougher opponent in Kareem El Torkey from Egypt, who dominated the match and secured a 3-0 victory (11-6, 11-5, 11-8) in 25 minutes.

Not all was lost for India on Day 1, as Tanvi Khanna showcased her skill and determination against Hong Kong’s Toby Tse, winning 3-1 (11-8, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7) in 33 minutes. She is set to face top seed Akanksha Salunkhe in the next round.

Sofía Mateos from Spain also played in the closing matches, defeating Egypt’s Lojayn Gohary 3-0 (11-7, 12-10, 11-3) in 33 minutes.

In the final matches of the day, Brazil’s Diego Gobbi triumphed over Egypt’s Seif El-Shenawy with a 3-0 win (11-7, 11-8, 12-10) in 31 minutes.