Abhay Singh (Photo PSA)
Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh led a quartet of Indian players through to semi-finals day at the JSW Indian Open 2026, with Veer Chotrani and Tanvi Khanna also progressing at the Cricket Club of India.
The first four quarter-final matches took place on the traditional courts, where Chotrani put in an impressive display to beat Mohamed Sharaf in a rematch – and a repeat result – of the 2024 College National Championships final.
That was soon followed by an outstanding display from the unseeded Khanna, who beat fourth seed Ainaa Amani 3-1 to reach the semi-finals of a World-level event for the very first time.
Attention then turned to the spectacular looking glass court, situated on the outfield of the cricket ground, with the prestigious Cricket Club of India pavilion in the background.
Most of those in the crowd would have been eagerly awaiting the Indian No.1s – Singh and Singh – but first got to enjoy a five-game tussle between Hana Moataz and Yasshmita Jadishkumar.
Both players had struggled with illness in the 24 hours or so before the match, something that perhaps contributed to the quickfire nature of the rallies, with both players looking to attack and go short at every opportunity.
It looked as though Kumar might spring a surprise and upset the No.2 seed, too, as she took a 2-1 lead in games and then – having been taken to a decider – found herself 6-3 in front in game five.
But Moataz remained calm and composed throughout, losing only two of the next 10 points to book her spot in the semi-finals.
She will now face No.3 seed Nadien Elhammamy – who beat Joshna Chinappa in the day’s first match – in an all-Egyptian semi-final, while the second woman’s matchup will pit Khanna against Anahat Singh.
Rising star Singh – who only turned 18 last week but is already inside the world’s top 20 – was at her clinical best for much of her encounter with Malaysia’s Sehveetrraa Kumar, needing less than 20 minutes to complete the win.
That result was then followed by success for Abhay Singh in the final match of the day, though he was tested by Egypt’s Yassin Shohdy.
Shohdy has enjoyed considerable success on the Challenger circuit over the past 18 months, and went toe-to-toe with Singh across the first two games, showcasing his impressive speed and athleticism around the court.
Crucially, though, Singh raced out to a 7-1 lead in game three, closing it out 11-5 to move within one game of the semi-finals.
At 7-7 in the fourth, the crowd was watching nervously on with the prospect of a decider very much in play, but Singh stuck to his gameplay and got his just reward, letting out a huge scream after gluing a backhand to the wall on match ball, with Shohdy unable to return.
Singh’s semi-final opponent will be Sanjay Jeeva, who beat Ibrahim Elkabbani 3-0 earlier in the evening session.
Results
Women’s Quarter-Finals: [3] Nadien Elhammamy (EGY) bt. [5] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 3-1: 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 11-1 (33m); Tanvi Khanna (IND) bt. [4] Ainaa Amani (MAS) 3-1: 11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8 (35m); [2] Hana Moataz (EGY) bt. [8] Yasshmita Jadishkumar (MAS) 3-2: 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8 (43m); [1] Anahat Singh (IND) bt. Sehveetrraa Kumar (MAS) 3-0: 11-2, 11-6, 11-4 (19m)
Men’s Quarter-Finals: [4] Veer Chotrani (IND) bt. [7] Mohamed Sharaf (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-8, 11-2 (27m); Ameeshenraj Chandaran (MAS) bt. Duncan Lee (MAS) 3-0: 8-3 ret. (8m); [6] Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) bt. Ibrahim Elkabbani (EGY) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (34m); [2] Abhay Singh (IND) bt. Yassin Shohdy (EGY) 3-1: 11-8, 7-11, 11-5, 11-7 (50m)
