Indian squash enjoyed a defining moment on the PSA Challenger circuit as Veer Chotrani produced one of the biggest win of his career, upsetting World No. 19 Baptiste Masotti of France in a gripping five-game battle to reach the quarterfinals of the Squash On Fire Open 2026 in Washington D.C.
Ranked 49 in the world, Chotrani came through a brutal contest 11-6, 7-11, 8-11, 11-1, 11-9, showcasing both resilience and tactical maturity to knock out one of the highest-ranked players in the draw. The win, coming just a day after he survived a near-certain defeat in round one, underlined Chotrani’s growing stature on the PSA Tour.
The Indian No. 2 will next face World No. 32 Declan James of England in the quarterfinals, with momentum firmly on his side after two draining but confidence-building victories.
From survival to supremacy
Chotrani’s run in Washington has been a story of survival turning into belief. In his opening-round match, the 23-year-old was pushed to the brink by Hungary’s Balazs Farkas (WR 51). After losing the first two games and then trailing 2–8 in the fourth, Chotrani appeared all but beaten. But in a stunning turnaround, he won nine of the next ten points to force a decider and then raced away in the fifth, sealing a 3–2 victory that kept his tournament alive.
That escape proved to be the catalyst for what followed against Masotti.
The Frenchman, a regular presence in the top 20, began the second-round match as a heavy favourite. Chotrani, however, came out sharp and assertive, taking the first game 11-6 with aggressive length and clever use of the front court. Masotti responded with two tightly contested games, 11-7 and 11-8, using his experience to apply pressure and force errors from the Indian. But what happened next shifted the entire match.
A fourth-game demolition
Down 2–1 in games, Chotrani produced one of the most one-sided games seen all week. He completely dismantled Masotti in the fourth, racing to an extraordinary 11-1 win that flipped both the scoreboard and the momentum. The Indian’s movement was razor sharp, and his ability to turn defence into attack left Masotti scrambling.
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With confidence flowing, Chotrani carried that intensity into the decider. The fifth game was a tense, attritional affair, but the Indian held his nerve, pulling away in the closing stages to seal the match 11-9 and send shockwaves through the tournament.
For Chotrani, it was not just a win it was a statement. Beating a top-20 opponent in a PSA event marks a new milestone in his career and confirms that his steady climb up the world rankings is no fluke.
Velavan also delivers
It wasn’t only Chotrani flying the Indian flag in Washington. Velavan Senthilkumar (WR 46) also made a strong start to the tournament, beating England’s Tom Walsh (WR 67) 3–1 in the opening round. After losing a tight first game 12-14, Velavan took control of the match, winning the next three 11-8, 11-8, 11-6 with his trademark pace and precision.
Velavan was then handed one of the toughest tests possible in the second round — World No. 11 Leonel Cardenas. While the Mexican ultimately prevailed, the Indian’s presence in the later stages underlined India’s growing depth on the men’s PSA Tour.
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The Squash On Fire Open has already produced a series of five-game epics. Chotrani was not alone in surviving a scare, as Egypt’s Menna Hamed also came back from two games down to defeat Singapore’s Wai Yhann Au Yeong in a gruelling women’s first-round match.
Playing through a toe injury, Hamed overturned two marathon tiebreak losses 15-13 and 19-17 before storming back to win the final three games and book her place in round two. Across the draw, several favourites advanced, but Chotrani’s win over Masotti stands out as the defining upset of the event so far.
A breakthrough moment for Indian squash
For Indian squash, Chotrani’s performance is significant. While Indian women have regularly produced elite results, the men’s side has been searching for consistent breakthroughs at the highest level. Victories over top-20 players are rare, and Chotrani’s composure under pressure suggests he is ready to move into that bracket.
His quarterfinal against Declan James now represents another opportunity not just to progress further in the tournament, but to announce himself as a genuine challenger on the PSA Bronze and Challenger circuit. After surviving the brink against Farkas and then conquering Masotti, Chotrani arrives in the last eight battle-hardened and full of belief. In Washington D.C., Indian squash has found a new standard-bearer and his run is far from over.
