T here is now a great accomplishment in the history of Indian squash. Anahat Singh, an 18-year-old top seed from India, has emerged as the winner of the first-ever World Junior Squash Championship for her country by defeating the second-seeded Ruqayya Salem of Egypt in straight games in an overwhelming manner.
Anahat ended up as the girls' singles winner after posting a clean sweep 3-0 win by a 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 scoreline against Salem. The result was as dominant as the scoreline shows, seeing the Indian never looked rattled through all the three games.
Anahat's victory takes on much meaning considering the previous record that was broken with her win: for the past 15 years running, a player from Egypt won the world junior title in the girls' category, and there was no other player from outside Egypt who won since 2010 when Amanda Sobhy of America achieved the feat.
Anahat's road to the finals was just as outstanding as her showing there. She got past two more Egyptian players in the quarter and semifinals in the form of Habiba Rizk 3-1 (11-7, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9), and Barb Sameh 3-1 (11-3, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6).
Beating three Egyptian players consecutively without losing a game while playing against them on their backyard is proof enough of how thoroughly she beat a nation known for its junior squash prowess.
For many years, Egypt has been the dominating nation in international squash especially when it comes to junior events where players from this nation have dominated girls' world championships for over a decade and a half.
Her victory ends this dominance and she becomes an instant star in this game and it heralds a change in the dominance of junior squash internationally.
This win was not ignored by national leaders who took time to congratulate her for this milestone win. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi called this win a historical one and he congratulated her.
He went ahead to mention that his win will also make squash more popular in the country among young Indians who have always been into sports such as cricket.
The recent success of Anahat in Canada is just one of the many successes that she has been achieving ever since she first made her mark in the junior circuit.
The talented youngster from Delhi, who made an international name for herself back in 2019 with her victories in the U-11 British Junior Open Squash and the U-13 Dutch Junior Open Squash, has been perfecting her game, and as a result, she has achieved further successes in the British Junior Open in the U-15 division, defeating Sohaila Hazem from Egypt, and in the Asian Junior Squash Individual Championships in China, winning the U-17 division after beating an opponent from Hong Kong in the final.
Her achievements are even more remarkable, as she is a player with a legacy of defeating opponents from Egypt, the nation that dominates the sport of squash around the world. With her recent success, it would be safe to say that Anahat is not only the future of squash in India but also an international force to reckon with.
Photo: @Anahat_Singh13/X
