Rising teenage talent Anahat Singh has advanced to the women’s semifinals of the prestigious British Junior Under-19 Open Squash Championship, currently taking place at the University of Birmingham.
Anahat’s Quarter-Finals Victory
The Indian top seed defeated Egypt’s Barb Sameh (5/8) with scores of 11-4, 10-12, 11-9, 11-3 in the quarter-finals. She is scheduled to face another Egyptian player, Malika El Karasky (3/4), in the semifinals.
Aryaveer Dewan Shines in Boys’ Category
Meanwhile, Indian second seed Aryaveer Dewan progressed to the semifinals in the boys’ Under-17 category after a tightly contested quarter-final match against Egypt’s Yassin Kouritam. Aryaveer won the match 9-11, 11-3, 10-12, 11-9, 12-10.
Path to Semifinals for Anahat
Earlier, Anahat had a commanding victory over Malak El Maraghy (Egypt, 9/16) in the last-16 round, winning 11-3, 11-3, 11-6. She also triumphed against Hong Kong’s Wing Kai Gladys Ho with scores of 11-1, 11-3, 11-3 in the second round, having received a bye in the first round.
Career Highlights
The Delhi player has had a breakout year, achieving her best world ranking of 28 during her second year on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour and defeating two top-20 players.
Recently, Anahat, the top seed and world No. 29, secured a win against former world No. 10 Joshna Chinappa in the final of the HCL Squash Indian Tour 4, held at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai. The match ended with scores of 11-8, 11-13, 11-13, 11-6, 11-8.
Recent Successes
In November, Anahat once again showcased her skills by beating the experienced Chinappa 3-2 in a thrilling all-Indian women’s final at the Daly College SRFI Indian Open squash in Indore. Anahat, also the top seed at that event and ranked 33 in the world at the time, won with scores of 11-8, 11-13, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9 in a match that lasted 55 minutes, marking her 13th PSA title.
Her impressive win streak in November and December came to an end when British world No. 10 Georgina Kennedy defeated Anahat 11-5, 11-8, 12-10 in the semifinals of the USD 96,250 PSA Silver event at the Canadian Open squash in Toronto earlier in October.
At that time, Anahat, ranked 43 in the world, defeated two top-20 players as she made her way to the semifinals, further establishing herself as a rising star on the global squash scene.