Senthilkumar Stuns Dussaud to Set Up Brno Open Final vs Lobban

Velavan Senthilkumar has moved into the final of the Czech Open Squash Tournament in Brno after a straight-games win in the semifinal. The event is a PSA Copper-level tournament with a US$35,000 prize pool.

The Indian beat France's Auguste Dussaud, the world No. 32, 11-7, 12-10, 11-1 to reach the last match.

Senthilkumar, the fourth seed, will face top seed Greg Lobban of Scotland, who is 31st in the world rankings. A win would be Senthilkumar's second title of the current season.

Lobban earlier defeated France's Tawfik Mekhalfi 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 to book his final place.

The Indian's path to the semifinal included a quarterfinal win over Argentina's Jeremias Ajana, the world No. 64 and eighth seed, by 11-3, 11-8, 11-7. Ajana had been the eighth seed. The first game was a routine 11-3 win, after which the rallies became sharper and more demanding. Senthilkumar then dominated the front court to win the remaining games 11-8 and 11-7.

He had earlier received a bye in the opening round and then defeated Brazil's Diego Gobbi 11-4, 11-7, 11-2 in the second round.

Senthilkumar's season highlight came in August, when he won the Budapest Open final against Hungary's No. 1 Balazs Farkas in straight games. That was his first PSA Copper-level title and the most important win of his career. It was also his second title overall.

The Budapest success came before the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, where he won a bronze medal in the mixed team event with Joshana Chinappa. He was also part of the men's team that took bronze. The men's team lost 1-2 to Malaysia in the semifinal and finished third.