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By Gopal Ram Tripathi

INDIAN SQUASH has a new hero. Anahat Singh, an 18-year-old player from Delhi, has become the first Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championship. She won the girls' singles title at Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada, beating Egypt's Ruqayya Salem in the final. The win came on her fifth try at this event, and it is being called one of the biggest moments in Indian squash history.

Anahat won the final in straight games, with a score of 11-3, 11-7, 11-9. This was not just a win over one player. It also ended Egypt's long hold on the girls' title, which had lasted for 15 years. Before Anahat, no player from outside Egypt had won this title since an American player did it back in 2010.

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Anahat’s Fifth Attempt Made Her Champion

Anahat had tried to win this title four times before. Each time, she lost in the quarter-finals or semi-finals, often to an Egyptian player. Last year, she finally broke through and won a bronze medal at the same event in Cairo. That bronze ended a 15-year wait for India to get any individual medal at the junior worlds.

This year, things lined up better for her. Egypt's four-time champion, Amina Orfi, was no longer eligible to play in the junior event. This opened up the draw. But Anahat still had to do the hard work herself. She won her first three matches without losing a single game. In total, across all six matches at the tournament, she lost only two games.

Her toughest test came in the semi-final. She beat Egypt's Barb Sameh in four games to reach the final, becoming the first Indian in 21 years to make it that far. Speaking after that win, Anahat said she had played Barb before and knew it would be a close match. She admitted she had not played her best the day before but knew she had to raise her game. She also shared that reaching the final made her parents and coaches happy, since she had lost in the same round before.

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Indian Squash Has Its Own Landmark Moment

Anahat's win is a huge boost for squash in India. The sport has never had a junior world champion from the country before. Her success also comes at a good time, since squash will be part of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. This gives young Indian players a new reason to dream big.

Other Indian players did not go as far in this tournament. On the girls' side, players like Rudra Singh, Anika Dubey, and Saanvi Kalanki all lost in the round of 32. On the boys' side, Aryaveer Dewan, who is the reigning Asian junior champion, reached the round of 16, which was the best result for India in the boys' event.

Anahat Singh's win at the World Junior Squash Championship is a landmark moment for Indian sport. She turned years of near-misses into a historic title, ending Egypt's long dominance in the process. Her rise, from early junior wins to an Olympic bronze medal chase in 2028, shows steady growth and hard work over many years. With this title in hand, expectations for her future in senior squash will only grow higher.

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