India secured a historic silver medal at the FISU World University Squash Championships 2026 in Mumbai. The team lost to Hong Kong, China, in a closely fought final that ended 2-2 and was decided on game difference, marking India's best-ever result.
India settled for the silver medal in the team event at the FISU World University Squash Championships 2026 after losing to Hong Kong, China in the final at Somaiya Vidyavihar University in Mumbai on Sunday.
Final Match Highlights
The Indian quartet of Om Semwal, Shameena Riaz, Suraj Kumar Chand and Nirupama Dubey lost the closely fought final on game difference after the tie ended 2-2, as per Olympics.com.
Om Semwal got India off to a winning start with a commanding 3-0 (7-3, 7-3, 7-3) victory over Lap Man Au. However, Ching Hei Fung levelled the tie for Hong Kong China with a 3-0 (7-3, 7-1, 7-4) win over Shameena Riaz.
India regained the lead through Suraj Kumar Chand, who edged Shing Fung Lam 3-2 (6-7, 7-0, 5-7, 7-3, 7-4). However, the two games conceded by the Indian side proved decisive as Nirupama Dubey went down 3-0 (7-4, 7-5, 7-3) to Po Yui Kirstie Wong, leaving the tie level at 2-2 but Hong Kong China ahead on games.
As per the tournament rules, a 2-2 tie in the knockout stage is decided first by game difference. If the teams remain level, the result is determined by points difference across the four matches. Should they still be tied, the winner is decided based on the head-to-head result of the first match.
India's Best-Ever Finish
Despite missing out on the gold medal, India's silver is their best-ever finish in the team event at the FISU World University Squash Championships. India had won a team bronze medal at the previous edition of the tournament in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2024.
Road to the Final
India began their team-event campaign on Friday with a 3-1 victory over Czechia in the quarter-finals. Sandesh Palanivel Ravikumar gave India the lead with a 3-0 win, before Karolina Sramkova levelled the tie with a 3-1 victory over Shameena Riaz. Om Semwal then restored India's lead with a 3-0 win over Jachym Mracek, while Pooja Arthi Raghu sealed the victory by defeating Tereza Siroka by the same scoreline.
The hosts followed up with a 3-1 victory over Spain in the semi-finals to book their place in the final. Nirupama Dubey received a bye in the opening match, before Suraj Kumar Chand rallied to beat Hugo Jaen 3-1 and put India ahead. Spain stayed alive after Noa Romero defeated Pooja Arthi Raghu 3-1, but Om Semwal held his nerve to edge Marc Altarriba 3-2 and send India into the final. (ANI)
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