Who Is Anahat Singh? Squash Star Who Became India’s First World Junior Champion

India’s Anahat Singh has won for the first time ever the World Junior Squash title and made her nation proud by winning the girls single title at the World Squash Junior Championships 2026. 18-year-old girl has made the country proud by defeating the Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem in straight games in the final of the tournament. This victory is historic and a great success for the Indian squash as it marks the very first time for any Indian player to achieve this success thus showcasing India’s presence in the field of sports.

Who Is Anahat Singh?

Anahat Singh was born in 2008 in New Delhi in a sports-loving family. Her father Gursharan Singh and her mother Tani Vadehra were former hockey players and her uncle was a tennis player.

Also, Anahat started with badminton with inspiration from Olympic medal-winner PV Sindhu but soon developed a love for the game of squash and decided to switch over at the early age of three, which she later said made her career in Indian squash come true.

Anahat Singh Scripts History At World Junior Squash Championships

India’s Anahat Singh has shown an exceptional performance in the girl’s singles final, defeating second-seeded Ruqayya Salem of Egypt with a score of 3-0 (11-3, 11-7, 11-9).

This victory gave rise to many historical milestones, including the,

• First Indian player to win the World Junior Squash Championships title
• India’s best achievement in the tournament till date
• First non-Egyptian player to win the championship after 2010

End of a 13-title winning streak for Egypt in the competition

Notable Campaign from Beginning to End

Anahat Singh showed great tenacity from start to finish.

She conceded just two games in six matches, demonstrating her superiority over the top junior players in the world.

Road to the Finals

• She won versus Lilly Wilson from Australia by a score of 3-0.
• Also established superiority over Pui Yin Chloe Lo from Hong Kong China by a score of 3-0.
• Achieved a victory versus Doyce Ye San Lee from Malaysia by a score of 3-0.

Her convincing wins secured her place in the knockout rounds without losing a single game.

Quarter-finals

• Anahat triumphed in the quarter-final match against Egypt’s Habiba Rizk by inducing a robust 3-1 triumph (11-7, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9) displaying her combativity.

Semi-finals

• In the semi-finals, she maintained this exceptional form to overcome yet another Egyptian contender, Barb Sameh, with a score of 3-1 (11-3, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6).

Final

• In the final match, Anahat exhibited a calm yet aggressive performance to defeat Ruqayya Salem without dropping a single game, not permitting her adversary to establish a rhythm.

Ending Egypt’s Extended Rule in Junior Squash

Egypt has been a leader in junior squash for a long time, producing many of the best players in the world.

Before Anahat’s win,

• Egyptian players had won the girls singles title for 13 consecutive years since the year 2011.
• Egypt has continuously produced the impressive junior world champions who later shined on the professional PSA Tour.

However, Anahat’s victory ended this reign since she became the first player from outside of Egypt to take the title since Amanda Sobhy of the United States won in 2010.

This triumph is considered one of the biggest upsets and achievements in the history of junior squash.

India’s Best Performance Ever in Junior World Championships

Before the Anahat’s victory, India witnessed the its best performance in the year 2005 when Joshna Chinappa was runner-up in the girls singles event.

With this victory in 2026, Anahat now creates a new benchmark in Indian sports history, surpassing the past achievement.

The accomplishment showcases Anahat’s personal excellence and the steady progress of Indian squash over the last two decades.