Former Asian junior top rank Savir gears up for U-17 challenge in squash
Having already won events like the Northern Slam, The Indian Junior Open and climbed to the summit of the Asian rankings in the boys’ U-15 age group, local squash player Savir Sood, a student of Delhi Public School, Sector 40, is now eyeing to excel in the boys’ U-17 age group. Promoted to the U-17 age group, the 16-year-old is set to make his debut in the senior age group by playing in the Squash Extreme Open 2024 in New Delhi from November 26 to 30.
“It will be a tough challenge to compete in the U-17 age group, but I am preparing well. The sport is immensely popular among players from big states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, so it will be tough for me to carry forward my U-15 performance,” said Sood.
He will be also carrying high hopes in the 79th CCI Western India Slam to be held in Mumbai from December 17 to 22, followed by an international event — British Junior Squash Open — in January 2025. “I want to put all-out efforts into my upcoming training for my future tournaments,” he added.
Earlier this year, Sood had won the International Junior Open Squash Tournament in Indore. This tournament is held once in a year and players from eight countries, including the USA and Malaysia, participated in the event. Sood defeated Hridhaan Shah 12-10, 16-14, 11-6 in the final match. Previously, he won the Northern Slam in New Delhi and represented India in the Asian Juniors — leading to a huge jump in his Asian Rankings. “I had a great run earlier this year and winning couple of major events helped me to run through my shortcomings. I have been training extremely well and the conditions in Mumbai and New Delhi will be idle to perform. I just wish I hit the ball well,” he added.
The youngster takes inspiration from his father Dr Ankur Sood, who is a plastic surgeon. “He started playing at the age of 10 and aims to break into the top-10 players of the nation. His rankings in the U-15 category will give him an edge in the U-17 age group, but he is relying on winning more and more matches. As of October, he is ranked 16th in the U-17 category of the Asian Squash Federation,” added Dr Ankur. Currently, the youngster claimed 413 points from three events at an average of 103.25.
