LBSQUASH Summer Pro SFs: Salunkhe in Epic Comeback to Reach Final

India’s World No.78 Akanksha Salunkhe produced a memorable comeback as she overturned a 2-0 deficit against USA’s Caroline Fouts to advance to the final of the J.P. Morgan LBSQUASH Summer Pro, PSA Challenger 5 event.

17-year-old Fouts – the No.3 seed for the event – started brilliantly to take the opening game before fighting back from 9-6 down in the second to double her advantage, putting her on the brink of a place in her maiden PSA final.

However, No.2 seed Salunkhe wasn’t done there and had the better of her opponent in the front corners, ultimately fighting back to level. The 24-year-old then finally converted her fourth match ball in a nail-biting fifth game to secure a place in her fourth PSA final.

Her opponent will be top seed Malak Khafagy, the World No.66 from Egypt, who ended the run of unseeded Frenchwoman Julia Le Coq, winning 13-11, 11-5, 11-7 in 24 minutes. Khafagy has an identical record to Salunkhe when it comes to PSA finals, with one win from three previous attempts.

The final of the J.P. Morgan LBSQUASH Summer Pro will take place on Saturday June 17, with play getting under way at 13:30 (GMT-4). You can keep up to date with daily updates from the tournament on the PSA Challenger Tour’s Twitter and Facebook.

Live streaming of the event will be available via the LBSQUASH Facebook page.

Results – Semi-Finals: 2023 J.P. Morgan LBSQUASH Summer Pro

[1] Malak Khafagy (EGY) bt Julia Le Coq (FRA) 3-0: 13-11, 11-5, 11-7 (24m)

[2] Akanksha Salunkhe (IND) bt [3] Caroline Fouts (USA) 3-2: 6-11, 11-13, 11-8, 11-8, 12-10 (55m)

Draw – Final: To Be Played June 17th

[1] Malak Khafagy (EGY) v [2] Akanksha Salunkhe (IND)