Chennai, Oct 23 : The Indian Squash Academy in Chennai is set to come alive from October 25 to 31 as the Sub Junior & Junior National Squash Championships 2025 take centre stage.

The prestigious event will feature 623 young athletes from across the country competing across 10 categories, marking a vibrant showcase of India's emerging squash talent and the sport's growing depth at the grassroots level.

The week-long championship begins with qualification rounds on October 25, followed by the main draw from October 28 to 31. Spectators can expect high-intensity matches as the country's best young players vie for national honours in both boys' and girls' divisions.

The boys' events will see Aryan SK, Abhyuday Arora, Shreyansh Jha, Subhash Choudhary, and Arihant KS lead the U11, U13, U15, U17, and U19 categories respectively. Among the girls, top seeds include Alia Kankaria (U11), Divyanshi Jain (U13), Vasundhara Nangare (U15), Aradhya Porwal (U17), and Unnati Tripathi (U19).

This year's championships boast several participants with impressive international credentials, underlining the strength of India's junior circuit. At the 2025 Asian Junior Championships in South Korea, Aryaveer Dewan clinched gold in the boys' U17 category, while Ayaan Dhanuka, Saanvi Kalanki, and Anika Dubey claimed silver in their respective events.

Bronze medals went to Aryaman Singh and Amarya Bajaj in the boys' U15 category. India's boys' team - featuring Arihant KS, Yusha Nafees, and Aryaveer Dewan - also secured a bronze medal at the World Junior Team Championship in Egypt earlier this year.

While several international stars will headline the Nationals, 17-year-old Anahat Singh, one of India's brightest squash prospects, will miss the tournament as she continues her professional campaign on the PSA Tour in pursuit of a higher world ranking.

Highlighting the event's significance, SRFI President Anil Wadhwa said the Sub Junior & Junior Nationals remain the premier junior tournament on the SRFI calendar, providing a crucial platform for India's youth to test themselves at a national level.

He expressed gratitude to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) for their continued support, and also acknowledged SDAT, TNSRA, ISA, Dunlop, and the Centre for Sports Science for their contributions. Special appreciation was extended to the Tamil Nadu Squash Rackets Association for hosting the event and ensuring top-class facilities and organisation.

/IANS