The Indian Open 2026 Squash Championship kicked off with fireworks at CCI’s Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday. Indian star Om Semwal stole the spotlight with a heart-stopping five-game marathon against Mexico’s Sebastian Salazar, emerging victorious 3-2 in scores that read 11-6, 11-9, 8-11, 10-12, 19-17.
That nail-biting fifth game, decided at 19-17, had the crowd on edge, but Semwal’s mental fortitude prevailed. In the women’s draw, Tanvi Khanna wasted no time, dismantling Maya Vaishar 3-0 (15-13, 12-10, 11-4) with aggressive shot-making and unyielding defense.
International flair was evident too. Egypt’s Yasin Shohdy staged a comeback against France’s Manuel Paquemard, losing the opener 10-12 but storming back to win 3-1. Swiss player Ambre Allincks outlasted Tessa Ter Sluis of the Netherlands 3-1, while Ibrahim Elkabbani of Egypt prevailed over Indian Suraj Kumar Chand in four games.
Straight-sets dominance marked several encounters: Hong Kong’s Chi Him Wong crushed Ayan Vaziralli 3-0, Sofia Mateos breezed past Shameena Riaz, and top seeds like Matthew Lai and Danielle Ray opened with flawless 3-0 results.
Key results roundup: Sahvitri Kumar def. Unnati Tripathi 11-8, 11-5, 11-4; Farida Walid over Nirupama Dubey 11-7, 11-3, 11-4; Yannick Omlor beat Yash Phadte 13-11, 11-9, 12-10; Briene Flynn downed Lee Barbu 3-0; and Amischenraj Chandran edged Naoki Hayashi 3-1.
With seeded players advancing smoothly and underdogs fighting back, Day 1 laid the groundwork for an electrifying week of squash action in India.