Velavan Senthilkumar Suffers London Open Quarter-final Exit After Upset by Amir Khaled-Jousselin

Key points

1. Velavan Senthilkumar lost 11-13, 6-11, 7-11 to France’s Amir Khaled-Jousselin in the London Open men’s quarter-finals on November 7, 2026.
2. Senthilkumar was the second seed and ranked world No. 42, while Khaled-Jousselin was ranked world No. 99.
3. The London Open is an USD 18,000 PSA Challenger event.
4. Senthilkumar had reached the quarter-finals after beating Paraguay’s Francesco Marcantonio 11-5, 11-7, 14-12 in the second round.
5. The Indian entered the event after winning the USD 35,000 Czech Open, defeating Scotland’s Greg Lobban in the final.
6. Senthilkumar also won the Budapest Open earlier in 2026, claiming his first PSA Copper-level title.
7. He returned from the 2026 Asian Games with two bronze medals, one in mixed team and one in the men’s team event.

India’s Velavan Senthilkumar suffered a quarter-final exit at the London Open squash tournament after losing to France’s Amir Khaled-Jousselin on Saturday, November 7. The second-seeded Indian, ranked world No. 42, went down 11-13, 6-11, 7-11 to the world No. 99 Frenchman at the USD 18,000 PSA Challenger event.

The defeat ended Senthilkumar’s campaign in the last eight, despite arriving in London in strong form after winning the Czech Open title the previous week. The result was an upset on paper, with the higher-ranked Indian unable to convert his seeding advantage into a semi-final place.

Khaled-Jousselin produces quarter-final upset

Khaled-Jousselin edged the opening game 13-11 before taking control of the match. He won the second game 11-6 and completed the straight-games victory with an 11-7 result in the third. Senthilkumar was unable to force the contest into a fourth game.

The opening game was the closest of the encounter. The French player’s 13-11 win gave him the early advantage, and he carried that momentum into the next two games. The final scoreline of 11-13, 6-11, 7-11 confirmed a straight-games defeat for the Indian.

Khaled-Jousselin’s victory was notable given the gap between the players in the world rankings. Senthilkumar entered as the second seed and world No. 42, while the Frenchman was ranked No. 99. The result sent the lower-ranked player into the semi-finals and brought the Indian’s run to an end.

Strong start in London after second-round win

Senthilkumar had progressed to the quarter-finals with a win over Paraguay’s Francesco Marcantonio. The Indian defeated the world No. 124 by a 11-5, 11-7, 14-12 scoreline in the second round, having received a first-round bye.

The second-round match showed Senthilkumar’s ability to close out a contest even when the opponent pushed him in the later stages. He took the first two games with relatively comfortable margins, but Marcantonio made the third more competitive before the Indian secured it 14-12.

Senthilkumar was seeded second at the USD 18,000 London Open, a PSA Challenger event. The quarter-final loss meant that he could not convert his strong opening result into a place in the final four.

Czech Open triumph preceded London campaign

The Indian arrived in London after a significant title-winning performance at the Czech Open, a USD 35,000 PSA Copper-level tournament. Senthilkumar defeated Scotland’s Greg Lobban in the final to secure the title, adding another trophy to an increasingly productive 2026 season.

He had also won the Budapest Open in August, where he defeated Hungary’s Balazs Farkas in the final to claim his first PSA Copper-level crown. The Czech Open victory was another milestone and underlined his ability to compete for titles on the PSA Tour.

Those results had raised expectations for his London appearance. Although the quarter-final exit interrupted that run, the two tournament victories remain important achievements in his season. The London result also came at a higher-level Challenger event, providing another test against international opposition.

Asian Games medals add to 2026 achievements

Senthilkumar’s season has included success in team competition as well. At the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, he returned with two bronze medals. One came in the mixed team event, where he partnered Joshna Chinappa, while the other was won as part of the Indian men’s team.

The men’s team campaign ended in the semi-finals after India lost 2-1 to Malaysia. Despite that defeat, the bronze medal added to Senthilkumar’s international record and contributed to a strong year for Indian squash.

The London Open exit is therefore a setback within an otherwise successful season. Senthilkumar has won two PSA Copper-level titles in 2026 and collected two Asian Games medals. His immediate task will be to regroup after the quarter-final defeat and carry the lessons from the Challenger event into his next tournament.

What the result means for Indian squash

Senthilkumar’s run in London offered another opportunity for an Indian player to make an impact on the international PSA circuit. His quarter-final appearance followed a first-round bye and a second-round victory, but Khaled-Jousselin proved the stronger player in the last eight.

India also had Ayaan Vaziralli in the London Open draw. The world No. 167 lost in the opening round to England’s Ben Smith, who recovered from losing the first and third games to win 6-11, 13-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-7.

For Senthilkumar, the London Open result does not erase the progress made during the year. His Czech Open and Budapest Open titles, along with the Asian Games medals, give him a strong platform to build on as he continues his international campaign.