Chennai, August 22, 2026: Rahul Baitha and Rathika Suthanthira Seelan emerged as the men’s and women’s champions, respectively at the Southern Slam squash tournament, which concluded at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai on Saturday.
Second seed Rahul Baitha ended unseeded Gurveer Singh’s impressive run in the men’s final, securing the title with an 11-3, 13-11, 11-8 victory. In the women’s final, unseeded Rathika Suthanthira Seelan produced a commanding performance to defeat second seed Pooja Arthi R 11-4, 11-9, 11-3.
In the Boys’ U-17 final, second seed Lokesh Subramani edged top seed Shreyansh Jha in a thrilling five-game encounter, adding another major junior title to his growing list of achievements.
In the Boys’ U-19 final, top seed Purav Rambhia defeated [5/8] Shravin Jain 11-5, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4 to claim the title. In the Girls’ U-19 final, top seed Akanksha Gupta beat second seed Eesha Shrivastava 11-8, 11-5, 11-3.
Dhruv Johri emerged champion in the Boys’ U-15 category after defeating second seed Fareed Andrabi 11-8, 4-11, 11-5, 11-2, while second seed Goushika M won the Girls’ U-15 title after overcoming Diva Parasrampuria 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 12-10.
In the Boys’ U-13 final, top seed Kaelen Evan Low (Singapore) defeated second seed Ridaan Gupta 11-2, 11-7, 11-5. In the Girls’ U-13 category, top seed Keerti Pradhaa Junivar Bala (Malaysia) beat second seed Riyaa Dalal 11-7, 6-11, 12-10, 11-6.
The Boys’ U-11 title went to top seed Yuchen Mason Han (Singapore), who defeated Vedant Shinde 11-7, 11-7, 11-9, while Meera Ruthiran (Malaysia) won the Girls’ U-11 crown after beating second seed Gaurvi Ajmera 11-3, 11-8, 11-8.
The Southern Slam 2026 featured 12 events and 397 entries, with competition held from August 17 to 22 at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai. Organised by the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI), the tournament brought together emerging junior talent and established senior players, with PSA ranking points available in the senior events and Asian Junior Ranking points across the junior categories.