Chennai, March 31 (IANS) India’s Abhay Singh has been honoured as the Men’s Player of the Year 2025 by the Asian Squash Federation, while teenage prodigy Anahat Singh secured the top accolade in the girls’ junior category.

The Indian men’s team was also recognised, earning the Team of the Year award after finishing with a bronze medal at the World Junior Team Championships 2025 in Egypt, as per the ASF’s official announcement.

Currently ranked World No. 25, Abhay has built an impressive résumé with multiple medals at the Asian Games and titles at the Asian Squash Championships. He was also part of the Indian squad that secured the country’s first-ever World Cup mixed team title last year.

Anahat, ranked World No. 20, has similarly excelled on the international stage, claiming medals at both the Asian Games and Asian Championships. In 2025, she earned a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Cairo and contributed to India’s gold-winning campaign at the mixed team World Cup.

The last time Indian players featured among the ASF award winners was in 2022, when former India No. 1 Saurav Ghosal and Joshna Chinappa took home the men’s and women’s top honours respectively.

Earlier this month, Abhay and Anahat won the Indian Open 2026 men’s and women’s titles, respectively. The men’s title clash was an all-Indian battle with the second-seeded Abhay overpowering his fourth-seeded compatriot Veer Chotrani 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-4). Meanwhile, the young Anahat blew away Hana Moataz of Egypt 3-1 (11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6) in the women’s final.

Abhay delivered a dominant performance in the men’s final, overcoming a strong challenge from Chotrani. The first two games were closely contested with long rallies, but Abhay won them 11-9 and 11-8. He then raised his level in the third game, using sharp angles and powerful shots to seal a comfortable 11-4 win and clinch the title.

In the women’s final, Anahat outplayed Egypt’s Hana Moataz with a commanding display. She won the first two games convincingly (11-5, 11-6) using speed and deception. Although Hana fought back to take the third game 11-9, Anahat regained control in the fourth, winning 11-6 to secure the championship.

--IANS

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