# Velavan Senthilkumar enters London Open squash quarterfinals _The Indian world No. 42 beat Paraguay's Francesco Marcantonio to reach the last eight._ - Publisher: Apex Sports News (https://apexsportsnews.in) - Canonical URL: https://apexsportsnews.in/news/velavan-senthilkumar-enters-london-open-squash-quarterfinals - Author: Sapna Pandey, Sports writer (https://apexsportsnews.in/author/sapna-pandey) - Published: 2026-11-06T15:17:05.646Z - Section: Other Sports - Topics: Squash, Velavan Senthilkumar, London Open, PSA Challenger ## Summary Velavan Senthilkumar advanced to the London Open quarterfinals after defeating Francesco Marcantonio 11-5, 11-7, 14-12. He will face French world No. 99 Amir Khaled-Jousselin next. ## Key takeaways - Velavan Senthilkumar reached the London Open quarterfinals on Thursday - He beat Paraguay's Francesco Marcantonio 11-5, 11-7, 14-12 - The Indian world No. 42 had a first-round bye at the USD 18,000 PSA Challenger event - He will play French world No. 99 Amir Khaled-Jousselin in the last eight - Ayaan Vaziralli lost in the opening round to Ben Smith 6-11, 13-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-7 ## Article Velavan Senthilkumar advanced to the quarterfinals of the London Open squash after beating Paraguay’s world No. 124 Francesco Marcantonio 11-5, 11-7, 14-12 on Thursday. ## Squash results The Indian world No. 42 received a first-round bye at the USD 18,000 PSA Challenger event, where he is the second seed. Senthilkumar, who has won two PSA Copper-level tournaments this year, will play French world No. 99 Amir Khaled-Jousselin next. Meanwhile, Indian world No. 167 Ayaan Vaziralli lost to higher-ranked Ben Smith in the opening round, the Englishman recovering to win 6-11, 13-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-7. ## Reliance Foundation Youth Sports The Chennai leg of the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports ended on Friday at Vels Thalambur, with JRK Football Academy winning two age-group titles and Sporting Groots taking the Under-8 crown. Sporting Groots beat A J Poul Young Star FC 2-0 in the Under-8 final, and Abhimanyu Chakravarty was named Player of the Match. JRK won the Under-10 title after a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Chennai Intercity FC on the final day. They completed the double in the Under-12 category, coming back from two goals down to beat Thadam FC 3-2. Rihaan S was Player of the Match. This season has 54 RFDL teams and more than 500 RFYS teams across the country, with over 5,500 matches. The pathway runs from the U8-U12 league to the U14-U18 league, then to the U21 development league, the main bridge to senior national team and club football. ## Maharashtra State Schools Chess Championship Six champions secured National Schools Chess spots at the SBI Life Maharashtra State Schools Chess Championship 2026, which ended at Rustomjee Cambridge International School, Dahisar (West), on Friday. The seven-round, FIDE-rated event, organised by Indian Chess School, drew 417 players across six categories in the Under-7, Under-11 and Under-15 age groups. Top seed Ivaan Dubey of Brainiacs International School won all seven games in the Under-7 Open. Yuvansh Nimja finished second on six points, ahead of Advik Verma on tie-break. Liyaa Krishnan took the Under-7 Girls title with six points, with Eleanor D’Souza and Neerja Onkar Jadhav next on 5½ each. Kaushik Ajinkya Rayate won the Under-11 Open with 6½ points, with Agastya N. Kasat second on six. Tvesha Ashish Jain scored 6½ to win the Under-11 Girls, ahead of Aashvi Ankit Agarwal on six. In the Under-15 section, Samvid Pasbola won the Open on six points, with AFM Rayan Merchant second on 5½, and Khanak Paharia won the Girls on six, with Mahua Vighnesh Deshpande second on 5½. The top two finishers in each category will represent Maharashtra at the National Schools Chess Championship. The top ten players in every category received ₹10,000 each, a total prize fund of ₹6 lakh. ### London Open squash results and player rankings | Player | Country | World ranking | Result | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Velavan Senthilkumar | India | 42 | Quarterfinals | | Francesco Marcantonio | Paraguay | 124 | Lost 11-5, 11-7, 14-12 | | Amir Khaled-Jousselin | France | 99 | Next opponent | | Ayaan Vaziralli | India | 167 | Lost opening round | | Ben Smith | England | Higher than 167 | Won 6-11, 13-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-7 | ### Related on Apex Sports News - [Velavan Senthilkumar beats World No. 32 to reach Czech Open final](https://apexsportsnews.in/news/velavan-senthilkumar-beats-world-no-32-to-reach-czech-open-final) - [Velavan Senthilkumar wins Czech Open 2026 for second PSA Tour Copper title](https://apexsportsnews.in/news/velavan-senthilkumar-wins-czech-open-2026-for-second-psa-tour-copper-title) ### Sources - [Sportstar](https://sportstar.thehindu.com/other-sports/indian-sports-wrap-updates-results-today-november-6-overall-squash-football-chess-scores-news/article71673887.ece) - [thehawk.in](https://www.thehawk.in/news/sports/senthilkumar-enters-london-open-squash-quarters) - [Photo: photographer695, CC BY 2.0 (Flickr)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/41087279@N00/33768881522) --- Source: Apex Sports News, https://apexsportsnews.in/news/velavan-senthilkumar-enters-london-open-squash-quarterfinals. 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