14-yr-old Anahat Singh inches closer to history, enters World Junior Championship quarters

Indian squash prodigy Anahat Singh entered the quarterfinals of women's singles event at the ongoing 2022 WSF World Junior Squash Championships in Nancy, France. Anahat qualified for the quarterfinals after defeating England's Torrie Malik 3-1 in the fourth round on Saturday. The 14-year-old, who was part of the Indian squash contingent at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, beat Malik 11-5, 11-5, 6-1, 11-7.

After the game, Anahat said she didn't expect to register such a comprehensive win over Malik, adding "but surprisingly I wasn't nervous". 

“I’m really excited to have beaten her because she had won the British Junior Open, I didn’t really expect to beat her. I really wasn’t nervous, because I didn’t have anything to lose. I just wanted to play my best, so I wasn’t nervous at all, which was surprising. It felt similar to playing at the Commonwealth Games, because I’ve been playing seniors," Anahat said after the match. 

Anahat will face Egypt's Fayrouz Abouelkheir in the quarterfinals. Fayrouz Abouelkheir beat USA's Lucie Stefanoni in her Round of 16 game to enter the quarterfinals. Earlier, Anahat and Fayrouz beat Emma Bartley and Amelie Haworth of England in their respective Round of 32 matches to qualify for the Round of 16. Both Anahat and Fayrouz won their games against Emma and Amelie by 3-0. 

Who is Anahat Singh?

Anahat Singh is a 14-year-old Indian squash player who hails from Delhi and currently studies in class 9. She earned qualification for the Birmingham CWG 2022 with notable performances during the national selection trials. In her previous endeavours, she has won the girls’ U-15 title at the Asian Junior individual squash championships with an 11-7, 12-10, 11-5 win against Ena Kwong of Hong Kong. This was her maiden Asian title and also the eighth international title overall.

Anahat made a sensational debut at the CWG with a thumping 3-0 win over Jada Ross of St Vincent and the Grenadines, in the Round of 64 in the women’s singles squash event on Friday night. Anahat won the match with scores of 11-5, 11-2, 11-0 and also made headlines by receiving a hug from the opponent.

Image: Team India/Twitter