Velavan Senthilkumar in Batch Open squash semifinals

New Delhi: National champion Velavan Senthilkumar stormed into the semifinals of the Batch Open squash tournament, defeating Jakub Solnicky of the Czech Republic in Paris.

Top seed Senthilkumar, ranked 58 in the world, beat fifth-seeded Czech 11-5, 11-6, 11-2 in 37 minutes in the quarterfinals of the USD 12,000 PSA Challenger Tour event on Friday night.

He will face Hong Kong's Andes Ling in the semifinals.

Elsewhere, fourth-seeded Indian Akanksha Salunkhe lost to fifth-seed Alina Bushma of Ukraine 7-11, 7-11, 8-11 in 29 minutes in the quarterfinals of the Expression St James Open, a USD 20,000 PSA Challenger Tour event in Springfield, US.