|
India's Anahat Singh scripted history by becoming the country's first squash player to win the junior world title after defeating Egypt's Ruqayya Salem 3-0 in the girls' singles final of the World Squash Junior Championships 2026 here on Saturday.
The top-seeded Anahat, India's No. 1 player, overcame second seed Salem 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 to claim the historic title and surpass Joshna Chinappa's runner-up finish in 2005, which had remained India's best performance at the junior world championships for more than two decades, according to Olympics.com. The 18-year-old was in complete control throughout the final and capped a dominant campaign in which she dropped just two games across six matches. Anahat began her campaign with a straight-games win over Australian qualifier Lilly Wilson before defeating Hong Kong China's Pui Yin Chloe Lo and Malaysia's Doyce Ye San Lee to reach the quarterfinals. She then overcame Egypt's Habiba Rizk 3-1 (11-7, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9) in the quarterfinals before defeating another Egyptian, Barb Sameh, 3-1 (11-3, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6) in the semifinals, according to Olympics.com. The victory over Salem in the final also brought an end to Egypt's dominance in the junior girls' world championship, with Egyptian players having held the title since 2011. Anahat had ended India's 15-year wait for an individual medal at the junior world championships last year, winning bronze in Cairo. This time, she went one step further to secure the gold. The draw also opened up for Anahat with four-time champion Amina Orfi of Egypt no longer eligible to compete in the junior event, according to Olympics.com. Anahat was the only Indian player to progress deep into the girls' singles draw. Rudra Singh, Anika Dubey and Saanvi Kalanki were eliminated in the round of 32. In the boys' singles, reigning Asian junior champion Aryaveer Dewan was India's best performer, reaching the last 16. Yusha Nafees and Gurveer Singh exited in the round of 32, while Purav Rambhia was knocked out in the round of 64. Anahat, currently ranked No. 20 in the world on the senior PSA Tour, will now look to build on her historic achievement as squash prepares to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. (ANI)
|
