Velavan Senthilkumar Wins Czech Open 2026 PSA Copper Title, Explained
Velavan Senthilkumar, the fourth seed and world No. 42, beat top seed Greg Lobban of Scotland 3-1 (13-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7) in the Czech Open final on Monday. Sportstar called it his second PSA Copper Tour title, after the Budapest Open earlier in 2026. IANS reported the event as the USD 35,000 Czech Open in Brno, and IANS and The Tribune called the win his 12th PSA title.
Velavan Senthilkumar has a second PSA Copper title this year. On Monday, in the Czech Open 2026 final, the Indian fourth seed beat world No. 31 Greg Lobban of Scotland, the tournament's top seed, 3-1: 13-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7.
Sportstar (updated 3 November 2026, 10:20 IST, Chennai) called the win his second PSA Copper Tour title. The first was the Budapest Open earlier in 2026. IANS, filing from Brno on 3 November, called the event the USD 35,000 Czech Open, a PSA Copper-level tournament, and described the result as his 12th PSA Tour title. The Tribune (updated 12:47 pm IST on 3 November 2026, carrying ANI) also put the final in Brno and also used the 12th-title count. Sportstar did not print a career total, a prize figure, or the city. This piece keeps those attributions separate.
The 60-second version
- Champion: Velavan Senthilkumar (India), fourth seed, world No. 42.
- Final: Beat Greg Lobban (Scotland), top seed, world No. 31, 13-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7 on Monday.
- Event: Czech Open, PSA Copper. IANS: USD 35,000, Brno. Sportstar: Czechia. The Tribune: men's singles in Brno.
- Title count: Second Copper title in Sportstar, IANS and The Tribune. 12th PSA title in IANS and The Tribune only.
- Path: Bye, then Diego Gobbi (Brazil), Jeremias Azana (Argentina), Auguste Dussourd (France, world No. 32). He did not drop a game before the final in the scores those reports printed.
- Earlier in 2026: Budapest Open, his first Copper title. Two Asian Games bronzes, in Sportstar's account mixed doubles with Joshna Chinappa and the men's team.
- Same news cycle: At the US Open in Philadelphia (USD 241,000, PSA Platinum), Mostafa Asal beat Abhay Singh and Veer Chotrani.
The final against Greg Lobban
| Game | Score | Who took it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13-11 | Senthilkumar |
| 2 | 11-5 | Senthilkumar |
| 3 | 8-11 | Lobban |
| 4 | 11-7 | Senthilkumar |
Sportstar, IANS and The Tribune agree on the four lines and on Lobban's ranking and seeding. The Tribune added that Senthilkumar is 28, and that the final was on Monday, local time.
The opener was the long game. IANS said it went to the wire, and that Senthilkumar held on for 13-11 before taking the second 11-5. The Tribune, citing Olympics.com, was more specific about the hole he climbed out of: he trailed 6-10, saved four game points, and took the game 13-11. Lobban then won the third 11-8, which is the 8-11 in the Senthilkumar-first scoreline, and Senthilkumar closed at 11-7.
IANS also reported how Lobban reached the final: a straight-games win over France's Toufik Mekhalfi. That dispatch did not print Mekhalfi's game scores.
How he got to the final
Sportstar's path, which IANS and The Tribune match on the scores:
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Opener | Bye | Sportstar: bye in the opener. The Tribune: a first-round bye |
| Second round | Diego Gobbi (Brazil) | 11-4, 11-7, 11-2 |
| Quarterfinal | Jeremias Azana (Argentina) | 11-3, 11-8, 11-7 |
| Semifinal | Auguste Dussourd (France), world No. 32 | 11-7, 12-10, 11-1 |
IANS and The Tribune called Azana the eighth seed. Sportstar named him and printed the score, without a seed. The Tribune called Dussourd the second seed as well as world No. 32. Sportstar and IANS gave the world ranking and the score, and did not call him the second seed in the copies used here.
The semifinal margin is the one that stands out before the final: 11-1 in the third against a player ranked one place behind Lobban.
Second Copper title, and the Budapest line
Sportstar's wording is narrow, and it is the one to start with. The Czech Open is his second PSA Copper Tour title. The first "came earlier this year when he won the Budapest Open, a title-winning run which had included beating seasoned Eain Yow Ng of Malaysia."
IANS and The Tribune add a month and a career count that Sportstar did not. Both said the first Copper title was the Budapest Open in August. IANS said he beat Hungary's Balazs Farkas in that final, and that the Czech Open made it 12 PSA Tour titles and the second at Copper level. The Tribune called it his 12th PSA Squash Tour title and his second Copper-level crown, and did not name Farkas or Ng.
Those Budapest details can sit together only as what each desk printed. Sportstar recorded a win over Ng somewhere in the title run. IANS recorded Farkas as the finalist. This article does not merge them into one match.
Asian Games bronzes, with one wording difference
Sportstar said that earlier in 2026 he "returned home with two bronze medals from the 2026 Asian Games": mixed doubles with Joshna Chinappa, and the men's team.
The Tribune reported the same two events, placed the Games in Aichi-Nagoya, and described the Czech Open title as coming a month after that outing. It said the men's team finished third.
IANS also reported two bronzes from Aichi-Nagoya. Its wording on the Chinappa medal is not the same: it said he finished on the podium in the mixed team competition alongside Joshna Chinappa, and as part of the men's team. IANS added that the men's team campaign ended in the semifinals after a 2-1 defeat to Malaysia. Sportstar and The Tribune call the Chinappa medal mixed doubles. IANS calls it mixed team. The 2-1 line is IANS only.
The US Open, in the same reports
The Czech title was not the only Indian result in these dispatches. Sportstar reported that at the US Open in Philadelphia, a USD 241,000 PSA Platinum event, Egypt's world No. 1 and top seed Mostafa Asal beat India's world No. 24 Abhay Singh 11-3, 11-1, 11-7 in the first round, and world No. 36 Veer Chotrani 11-1, 11-6, 11-4 in the second round.
IANS reported the same rounds, the same scores, the same USD 241,000 purse and the same Platinum label, without printing Abhay Singh's or Veer Chotrani's world rankings. The rankings in the paragraph above are Sportstar's.
What to watch next
- How the title is counted on the PSA record. Sportstar's published line is "second PSA Copper Tour title." IANS and The Tribune add "12th PSA title." A later PSA listing is what would put one number on both.
- The ranking gap he just closed in a final. He was world No. 42 and the fourth seed. Lobban was world No. 31 and the top seed. None of these reports printed a new ranking.
- The Budapest bookkeeping. Ng, in Sportstar, is part of the earlier title run. Farkas, in IANS, is the Budapest finalist. They answer different questions about that week.
- The Asian Games wording. Mixed doubles in Sportstar and The Tribune, mixed team in IANS, both attached to Joshna Chinappa. The men's team bronze is in all three, and the 2-1 semifinal loss to Malaysia is in IANS.
- Abhay Singh and Veer Chotrani, both out of the Philadelphia US Open against Mostafa Asal, on the scores above.
- Los Angeles 2028. IANS and The Tribune mentioned squash's Olympic debut there as the horizon this run sits on. Neither report set a qualification mark or a next tournament date.
A fourth seed ranked 42 beat the top seed in four games in Brno, without dropping a game on the way there in the scores Sportstar, IANS and The Tribune published. The Copper title is the second of 2026. The career total, where it appears, is the figure IANS and The Tribune used, not a number Sportstar printed.
Match scores, seeds and rankings follow Sportstar (updated 3 November 2026, 10:20 IST, Chennai), IANS (Brno, 3 November 2026, 11:17 am) and The Tribune (ANI, updated 12:47 pm IST on 3 November 2026). Brno and the USD 35,000 purse are from IANS. The Tribune also placed the final in Brno and reported Senthilkumar's age as 28, the 6-10 deficit and four game points saved in the opener (cited by The Tribune to Olympics.com), Dussourd as second seed, and Azana as eighth seed. The 12th PSA title count is from IANS and The Tribune. Sportstar is the source for the second Copper title, the Budapest win over Eain Yow Ng, the mixed-doubles wording with Joshna Chinappa, and the world rankings of Abhay Singh and Veer Chotrani. IANS is the source for Balazs Farkas as the Budapest finalist, the mixed-team wording, the men's team 2-1 semifinal loss to Malaysia, and Lobban's straight-games win over Toufik Mekhalfi. The US Open scores appear in both Sportstar and IANS.
Frequently asked questions
›Who won the Czech Open 2026 squash title?
India's Velavan Senthilkumar. He beat Scotland's Greg Lobban, the top seed and world No. 31, in the final on Monday. Sportstar, IANS and The Tribune all reported the result. IANS and The Tribune placed the tournament in Brno.
›What was the score in the Velavan Senthilkumar vs Greg Lobban final?
3-1: 13-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-7. Sportstar, IANS and The Tribune printed those games. The Tribune, citing Olympics.com, said Senthilkumar trailed 6-10 in the opener and saved four game points.
›Where was the Czech Open 2026 held, and what was the prize money?
IANS filed from Brno and called it the USD 35,000 Czech Open, a PSA Copper-level tournament. The Tribune said the men's singles title was decided in Brno. Sportstar located the event in Czechia and called the title a PSA Copper Tour title.
›Was this Velavan Senthilkumar's first PSA Copper title?
No. Sportstar called the Czech Open his second PSA Copper Tour title. The first was the Budapest Open earlier in 2026, a run Sportstar said included a win over Eain Yow Ng of Malaysia. IANS reported that the Budapest final, in August, was against Hungary's Balazs Farkas, and called that his first Copper-level crown.
›How did Velavan Senthilkumar reach the Czech Open final?
He had a bye in the opener. He then beat Brazil's Diego Gobbi 11-4, 11-7, 11-2, Argentina's Jeremias Azana 11-3, 11-8, 11-7, and France's Auguste Dussourd, world No. 32, 11-7, 12-10, 11-1. Sportstar reported that path. IANS and The Tribune called Azana the eighth seed, and The Tribune called Dussourd the second seed.
›What did the reports say about his Asian Games medals?
Sportstar said he won two bronzes at the 2026 Asian Games: mixed doubles with Joshna Chinappa, and the men's team. The Tribune reported the same events and placed the Games in Aichi-Nagoya. IANS also reported two bronzes there, described the medal with Chinappa as a mixed team competition, and said the men's team lost 2-1 to Malaysia in the semifinals.
›What happened to Abhay Singh and Veer Chotrani at the US Open?
Sportstar reported that at the US Open in Philadelphia, a USD 241,000 PSA Platinum event, Egypt's world No. 1 Mostafa Asal beat India's world No. 24 Abhay Singh 11-3, 11-1, 11-7 in round one, and world No. 36 Veer Chotrani 11-1, 11-6, 11-4 in round two. IANS reported the same scores.