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India's Velavan Senthilkumar clinched the men's singles title at the Czech Open 2026 squash tournament in Brno on Monday (local time), defeating top seed and world No. 31 Greg Lobban of Scotland 3-1 (13-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7) in the final of the PSA Copper-level event.
The fourth-seeded Indian produced a spirited performance to overcome Lobban, showing great composure in a closely contested opening game. Trailing 6-10, Senthilkumar saved four game points before fighting back to take the opener 13-11, as per Olympics.com. The 28-year-old carried that momentum into the second game, winning it 11-5 to establish a 2-0 lead. Lobban responded by claiming the third game 11-8, but Senthilkumar held his nerve in the fourth, sealing the contest 11-7 to secure the championship. The triumph marked Senthilkumar's 12th PSA Squash Tour title and his second Copper-level crown. He had previously won his maiden Copper-level title at the Budapest Open in August. Ranked world No. 42, Senthilkumar enjoyed a dominant run throughout the tournament. After receiving a first-round bye, he began his campaign with a commanding 3-0 (11-4, 11-7, 11-2) victory over Brazil's Diego Gobbi in the second round. He continued his impressive run by defeating eighth seed Jeremias Azana of Argentina 3-0 (11-3, 11-8, 11-7) in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, the Indian overcame second seed and world No. 32 Auguste Dussourd of France 3-0 (11-7, 12-10, 11-1) to book his place in the title clash. The Czech Open triumph came a month after Senthilkumar enjoyed a successful outing at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, where he secured two bronze medals. He partnered Joshna Chinappa to claim bronze in mixed doubles and was also part of the Indian men's team that finished third. Senthilkumar's latest title adds to India's growing achievements in squash as the sport prepares to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. (ANI)
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