Velavan Senthilkumar

{{Infobox squash player

| name = Velavan Senthilkumar

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| fullname =

| nickname =

| country = {{IND}}

| residence = Chennai, India

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1998|3|26}}

| birth_place = Salem, Tamil Nadu, India

| death_date =

| death_place =

| education = {{ubl

| Don Bosco School

| Columbia University

}}

| spouse = {{marriage|Aaradhana Kasturiraj|2024}}

| height = {{height|m=1.78|precision=0}}

| weight = {{convert|63|kg|lb}}

| turnedpro =

| retired = Active

| plays = Left-handed

| coach = {{ubl

| Paul Price

| Cyrus Poncha

}}

| racquet = Tecnifibre

| website =

| event = Men's singles

| years_active =

| highest_ranking = 39

| date_of_highest_ranking = March 2025

| current_ranking = [https://www.psasquashtour.com/player/velavan-senthilkumar/ 39]

| date_of_current_ranking = March 2025

| WorldOpenresult =

| club = {{ubl

| Columbia Lions

|(2017–2022)

}}

| titles = 14

| finals = 18

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalSport|Men's squash}} 30px

{{MedalCountry|{{IND}}}}

| psa_id = velavan-senthilkumar

| updated = September 2021

}}

Velavan Senthilkumar (born 26 March 1998) is an Indian professional squash player.{{cite web | url=https://psaworldtour.com/players/view/5583/info | title=Velavan Senthikumar | publisher=PSA World Tour | access-date=22 July 2018 }} He reached a career-high world ranking of 39th in March 2025.{{Squash Info}} He's a double gold medalist at the Asian Championships.

Early life

Senthilkumar was born March 26, 1998 in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India to Shanmukham Priyadharshini and Ramasamy Senthilkumar. While his mother was a part of the national badminton team, his father played basketball for the country. His brother Guhan, a student of the University of Manchester, also plays squash. Senthilkumar finished his education from Don Bosco School.{{Cite web |last=Adhikary |first=Sukanya |date=2024-03-26 |title=“If I've given my best, I think about my performance rather than the result” - says National Squash Champion, Velavan Senthilkumar |url=https://thebridge.in/squash/if-ive-given-my-best-i-think-about-my-performance-rather-than-the-result-says-rising-squash-star-velavan-senthilkumar-46635 |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=thebridge.in |language=en}} When he won the British Junior Open during the 2017 edition, several college coaches contacted him. After some deliberation, he decided to move to the United States to be a part of Columbia University, New York.{{Cite news |date=2017-01-13 |title=Chennai boy makes it to Columbia University riding on squash success |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/chennai-boy-makes-it-to-columbia-university-riding-on-squash-success/articleshow/56509530.cms?SPID=78095&DB_OEM_ID=9600 |access-date=2024-11-18 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} He became a part of the college's squash team Columbia Lions.{{Cite web |title=Velavan Senthilkumar - Men's Squash |url=https://gocolumbialions.com/sports/mens-squash/roster/velavan-senthilkumar/17245 |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=Columbia University Athletics |language=en}}

Personal life

Senthilkumar married to fellow Indian squash player Aaradhana Kasturiraj in June 2024.

Career

In 2016, Senthilkumar won the Asian Junior Championships defeating Mohammad Al-Saraj.{{Cite web |title=VELAVAN SENTHILKUMAR |url=https://unsquashable.com/pages/velavan-senthilkumar?srsltid=AfmBOoqCXz5a_KQhE28YIRKf7fODltUrWTKnT4q3wT2jbOBW6XvZ6ARj |access-date=2025-01-25 |website=UNSQUASHABLE |language=en}} He then won the 2017 British Junior Open, besting his compatriot Abhay Singh in the final. He bagged his first PSA title in April 2018 at the Madison Open in Wisconsin. He is coached by Paul Price.{{Cite web |last=Venkatesan |first=S. Prasanna |date=2024-05-15 |title=Squash player Velavan Senthilkumar says working with mental coach Paul Price has been really helpful |url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/squash/velavan-senthilkumar-mental-health-coach-paul-price-helpful-benefits-career-best-singles-rankings-psa-tour/article68179362.ece/amp/ |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=sportstar.thehindu.com |language=en}}

Titles and finals

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+

! Year

! Tournament

! Opponent

! Result

! Score

! Ref(s)

rowspan=2|2017

| British Junior Open

| {{flagicon|IND}} Abhay Singh

| bgcolor="99FB98"|Win

| 3–1 (16-14, 11-2, 10-12, 11-7)

|{{Cite web |last=Helmer |first=Donna |date=2017-01-06 |title=2017 Finals : Six for Egypt as Gilevskiy wins Ireland's first |url=https://britishjunioropen.com/2017finals/ |access-date=2024-11-11 |website=British Junior Open |language=en-GB}}

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
Year ! Award ! Category ! Result ! Ref
2017 \|rowspan=2\|ASF Awards \|Outstanding Performance Junior Men \|{{won}} \|
2023 \|Outstanding Team Men \|{{won}} \|{{Cite web \|title=ASF Awards \|url=http://www.asiansquash.org/about_awards.php \|access-date=2024-11-09 \|website=Asian Squash Federation}}
2025 \|Times of India Sports Awards \|Squash Player of the Year Male \|{{tba}} \|{{Cite news \|date=2025-02-18 \|title=TOISA 2024: Squash Masters Competing for the Coveted Trophy \|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/toisa-2024-squash-masters-competing-for-the-coveted-trophy/articleshow/118361431.cms \|access-date=2025-02-22 \|work=The Times of India \|issn=0971-8257}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

Year

! Award

! Category

! Result

! Ref

2017

|rowspan=2|ASF Awards

|Outstanding Performance Junior Men

|{{won}}

|

2023

|Outstanding Team Men

|{{won}}

|{{Cite web |title=ASF Awards |url=http://www.asiansquash.org/about_awards.php |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=Asian Squash Federation}}

2025

|Times of India Sports Awards

|Squash Player of the Year Male

|{{tba}}

|{{Cite news |date=2025-02-18 |title=TOISA 2024: Squash Masters Competing for the Coveted Trophy |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/toisa-2024-squash-masters-competing-for-the-coveted-trophy/articleshow/118361431.cms |access-date=2025-02-22 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}