Anahat Singh continued her dominance at the ongoing National Squash Championships defeating Pooja Arthi in the quarter-finals, dropping just five points in the match.
This was despite the 17-year-old coming into the game after having her physio attend to her right ankle which she injured in the semi-final of the recent NSW Squash Bega Open.
“I was not 100 percent okay in the final of the Bega Open as I had rolled my ankle. I had a week off but even now I am doing as much rehab and strengthening as I can,” Anahat told The Indian Express after her 11-3, 11-0, 11-2 win at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Tuesday.
“I am happy with the way I played. I haven’t played a lot on these courts, so it is kind of a new venue for me. From tomorrow, matches will be more intense.”
The Delhi youngster has been on roll this year winning at both junior and senior levels. In July, she made history by clinching a silver medal at the World Junior Championships for India after 15 years. She followed it up with a senior medal at the NSW Squash Bega Open, a PSA Tour Copper Level event.
Currently ranked 46th in the world, Anahat is using her experience of playing at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games to facilitate her transition to the senior level.
“There is a huge difference but it has been a decent transition for me even though I am still learning quite a lot.”
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Before getting to the senior level and playing PSA tour events, Anahat medalled at the Asian Games 2023 and 2022 Commonwealth Games raising her profile as the next big thing in Indian squash.
“At these events, I saw how these top 20 players play and deal with high-pressure situations. At that time, I had no chance against them but over the past year, my confidence has grown. Playing at multi-sports tournaments helped me understand my level and how much work I needed to do,” explained Anahat.
Mentored by former India national Saurav Ghoshal, Anahat is looking to take one step at a time at the senior level.
“I have been around for a few years but am not taking anything for granted,” she quipped.
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After the Nationals, Anahat plans to take a break to focus on her training. Her next big event will be the British Junior Open (January 2-6, 2026).
“I’ve not really had much of a break for the past few years. When the seniors have an off-season, the junior circuit carries on,” she said.
Joshna, Abhay enter semis
In the other quarter-finals, experienced pro Joshna Chinappa faced some resistance from youngster Unnati Tripathi. After losing the second game to Unnati, she showed her experience and pocketed the last two games to set up semi-final with National champion Akanksha Salunkhe, who defeated Shameena Riaz.
In men’s quarters,Asian Games medallist Abhay Singh, India’s top ranked player Ramit Tandon, Veer Chotrani, and Velvan Senthilkumar enter the semi-finals without dropping a set.
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The results (quarterfinals):
Men: Abhay Singh beat Aryan Pratap Singh 11-4, 11-6, 11-3; Ramit Tandon beat Suraj Chand 11-9, 11-5, 11-3; Veer Chotrani bearnt Om Semwal 11-2, 11-6, 11-6; Velavan Senthilkumar beat Yash Fadte 11-6, 11-6, 11-8.
Women: Anahat Singh beat Pooja Arthi 11-3, 11-0, 11-2; Tanvi Khanna beat Sanya Vats 11-7, 11-8 (retd.); Joshna Chinappa beat Unnati Tripathi 11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-4; Akanksha Salunkhe beat Shameena Riaz 11-4, 11-4, 11-5.
