4th HCL SRFI Tour – Jodhpur Preview: Salem Aiming To Return To Top 16

The 4th HCL SRFI Indian Tour – Jodhpur Leg kicks off on Thursday, November 17, with the Challenger 10 level competition featuring a 24-strong draw on both the men’s and women’s sides.

Two venues in the Indian city will play host to the tournament. The Bodhi International School will host the early rounds, before the event moves to the Lawns of Umaid Bhawan Palace.

Egypt’s Zahed Salem will be the top seed, and we spoke to the World No.68 prior to the tournament starting. He admits that he has struggled for form since the pandemic, but that he is looking to get back to his best squash.

“I was playing my best game before the pandemic started. I had a great season back in 2019 which kept me in the top 16,” Salem admitted.

“This was my first goal, to break the top 16 but things changed after the pandemic and I still managed to stay as World No.14 till November 2021 before I stopped playing and traveling to all the international tournaments. This made me drop back in the ranking, I mean, playing five tournaments in two years wasn’t enough to keep me inside the top 20. But I’m now playing consistently again, [and I am] really thankful to be back doing what I love to do and I’m ready for this challenge.”

Salem’s last title came back in 2018, when he won the Chamberlain Squash Open in Nigeria. He is hoping to change that this week in Jodhpur, and he believes that a win this week can help propel him back up the World Rankings.

“Four years since my last tour title, that’s a lot. I want to take this, I’m building my confidence back so I want to win more matches and titles, of course. This one will be very special to a new start I’m looking for and this means a lot,” he explained.

“My goal for playing this tournament hopefully is to win it, I don’t feel any pressure because I’m now looking forward to enjoying my game and to enjoy this challenge. I believe I belong at the top so I will focus first to play well, and this will give me a chance [to be] in the top 20 again. 

“I need to work on myself [as] the game has changed, it’s even faster and physically harder, and everyone plays good shots and everyone get all the balls [back]. 

“I’m working now on my confidence to gain it again and once I get this momentum of playing matches and tournaments again, I’m sure I will break the top 50 again then after that I will think about pushing it to a career-high once again.”

India’s Abhay Singh and the Malaysian duo of Darren Rahul Pragasam and Ong Sai Hung make up the rest of the top four seeds, with another Malaysian, in Hafiz Zhafri, also seeded. Hong Kong’s Harley Lam and Chung Yat Long join Egypt’s Mohamed Nasser as the other seeded players.

Sri Lanka’s Ravindu Laksiri, a winner on Tour this season, is also in action in Jodhpur, with six Indians in action on home soil. Rahul Baitha and Velavan Senthilkumar will lead the way, with Harder Pal Singh Sandhu and Krishna Mishra as the wildcards.

Malaysia’s Aira Azman will be the top seed in the women’s draw, with Hong Kong’s Cheng Nga Ching and the India duo of Akanksha Salunkhe and Tanvi Khanna making up the rest of the top four seeds.

Two more Hongkongers, in Ching Hei Fung and Toby Tse will be joined by Egyptian juniors Salma El Aify and Amina Orfi, the latter of which won the World Junior Championships earlier this year, as the other seeded players in the draw.

The event takes place from Thursday, November 17 to Monday, November 21 across two venues in Jodhpur, India. Zahed Salem will be the top seed for the men’s draw, and you can follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event.

Men’s First Round Draw: 4th HCL SRFI Indian Tour – Jodhpur Leg
[1] Zahed Salem (EGY) – [Bye]
Andrik Lim (MAS) v [9/16] Wailok To (HKG)
[9/16] Rahul Baitha (IND) v Abdelrahman Abdelkhalek (EGY)
[8] Chung Yat Long (HKG) – [Bye]
[7] Hafiz Zhafri (MAS) – [Bye]
Mohamed Gohar (EGY) v [9/16] Velavan Senthilkumar (IND)
[9/16] Andes Ling (HKG) v Ravi Dixit (IND)
[3] Darren Rahul Pragasam (MAS) – [Bye]
[4] Ong Sai Hung (MAS) – [Bye]
Jan Wipperfurth (GER) v [9/16] Abdullah Hashim (IRQ)
[9/16] Ravindu Laksiri (SRI) v Jaideep Singh Sethi (IND)
[5] Mohamed Nasser (EGY) – [Bye]
[6] Harley Lam (HKG) – [Bye]
[WC] Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (IND) v [9/16] Lam Shing Fung (HKG)
[9/16] Wee Ming Hock (MAS) v [WC] Krishna Mishra (IND)
[2] Abhay Singh (IND) – [Bye]

Women’s First Round Draw: 4th HCL SRFI Indian Tour – Jodhpur Leg
[1] Aira Azman (MAS) – [Bye]
Yashi Jain (IND) v [9/16] Nour Wageeh (EGY)
[9/16] Urwashi Joshi (IND) v Bijali Darvada (IND)
[5] Ching Hei Fung (HKG) – [Bye]
[7] Salma El Aify (IND) – [Bye]
Navya Sundarajan (IND) v [9/16] Sunayna Kuruvilla (IND)
[9/16] Lam Po Ying (HKG) v Janet Vidhi (IND)
[3] Akanksha Salunkhe (IND) – [Bye]
[4] Tanvi Khanna (IND) – [Bye]
Mahak Talati (IND) v [9/16] Wong Po Yui Kirstie (HKG)
[9/16] Pooja Arthi R (IND) v Sunita Patel (IND)
[8] Amina Orfi (EGY) – [Bye]
[6] Toby Tse (HKG) – [Bye]
Nour Khafagy (EGY) v [9/16] Wai Sze Wing (HKG)
[9/16] Rathika Suthanthira Seelan (IND) v Anjali Semwal (IND)
[2] Cheng Nga Ching (HKG) – [Bye]