Indian squash star Velavan Senthilkumar clinched the biggest title of his career at the Budapest Open following high-level sparring in Prague and guidance from Gregory Gaultier and Saurav Ghosal.

India's Velavan Senthilkumar secured his maiden PSA World Tour title at the Budapest Open, defeating Hungary's Balazs Farkas 11-4, 11-2, 11-3 in the final of the Copper event. The victory marked the 11th PSA crown and the biggest trophy to date for the 28-year-old southpaw, who currently holds a ranking of World No. 54.

Reflecting on his title-winning run, Velavan said, "This is the best I've played in terms of the quality of squash and the consistency I displayed." His success followed an intense preparation block in Prague under former World No. 1 French coach Gregory Gaultier, where he sparred with World No. 15 Mohamed ElShorbagy and World No. 22 Baptiste Masotti, alongside technical guidance from Saurav Ghosal.

Velavan's path to the Budapest Open final included a landmark last-eight win over top seed Eain Yow Ng of Malaysia, marking his first victory against his former Asian juniors rival. In the semifinals, he saved match points against compatriot and third seed Veer Chotrani, recovering from an 8-10 deficit in the fifth game to seal a 12-10 win.

With an ultimate goal of breaking into the world's top 20 by the end of the season, Velavan is also preparing to partner with Joshna Chinappa in mixed doubles at the Asian Games. The pair previously won bronze at the Asian Doubles Championships in June, with Velavan noting that he is eager to learn from Chinappa's extensive experience.

Reporting sourced from The Hindu Sport. Photo courtesy The Hindu Sport.