Chandigarh, December 3
Local squash player Sehar Nayar brought laurels to the country by winning the 77th CCI Western Slam in Mumbai. In the girls’ U-15 final, Sehar ousted Karina Phipps (11-4, 10-12, 11-2, 17-15) to claim the title. This is the oldest squash tournament in India. Recently, the Squash Rackets Federation of India made this an international event. The tournament witnessed 474 entries from various countries, including India.
In the semi-finals, she defeated India’s Vyomika Khandelwal (11-3, 15-17, 8-11, 14-12, 11-7). Earlier, she ousted Diva Shah (11-7, 11-4, 5-11, 11-2) and Mahathi Subramaniam (11-6, 11-4, 11-7). After this tournament, Sehar now ranked number 2 in Asian Rankings.
Sehar, a student of Vivek High School, trains under father Saurabh Nayar and uncle Vikas Nayar at Chandigarh Club and Lake Sports Club.
Earlier, this year, Sehar bagged a silver medal in the Junior National Squash Championship at Bombay Gymkhana Club in Mumbai. In the final clash, she went down against top seed Delhi’s Anahat Singh (2-11, 3-11 and 3-11).
In August, she won the girls’ U-15 gold medal in the IIT-Gandhinagar Squash Open, Gujarat. The tournament was jointly organised by the IITGN, the Squash Racket Federation of India (SRFI) and the All-Gujarat Squash Racquet Association.
“This year has been good so far. The jump in the Asian Rankings will definitely help me play some major championships in the coming months. This (Western Slam) was a prestigious tournament and I was hopeful of podium finish,” said Sehar.
Her achievements
Earlier, this year, Sehar bagged a silver medal in the Junior National Squash Championship at Bombay Gymkhana Club in Mumbai.In August, she won the girls’ U-15 gold medal in the IIT-Gandhinagar Squash Open, Gujarat.
