Twenty-seven days after becoming the junior women’s world No. 1 in squash, New Delhi-based Anahat Singh has made history by becoming the first Indian to win the World Squash Junior Championships.
The 18-year-old ended Egypt’s 16-year dominance by becoming the first non-Egyptian champion and is now targeting direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics through the Japan Asian Games in September-October.
India’s most decorated male squash player, Saurav Ghosal, who mentors Anahat and was at ringside at the Junior World Championships in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, is excited at the prospect of Olympic qualification.
“Anahat is feeling very, very high. She has enormous potential; she believes in herself greatly. And she also has a very good support system with her, like the guidance she has from Grégory Gaultier, her coach and a former world champion from France,” former world No. 10 Ghosal told Patriot.
“She is already ranked 20th in the world among seniors and can achieve much greater things, both on the professional tour and for India. The Asian Games are next, and we’ll try to win because that secures a direct spot for LA28. It would be a huge boost for Indian squash to seal Olympic qualification two years in advance,” said the two-time World Championships mixed doubles gold medallist.
Anahat said the Asian Games remain a huge event regardless of Olympic qualification.
“The stakes are higher with the Olympics, but the Asian Games alone are a huge deal. The Olympics are an added bonus, and I’ll give it my 100 percent,” she said.
Ghosal started helping Anahat in December 2024, and either he or Gaultier has always been beside her at major tournaments.
“She works more intensively with Gaultier. I’m there to mentor her in terms of scheduling and putting together the ecosystem to let her thrive. I see her more sporadically at different points in time. There’s no contract with her individually,” he said.
Anahat, who trained under Gaultier in Prague, defeated Egypt’s second seed, Ruqayya Salem, 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 in the Junior World Championships final. She became the first Indian in 21 years to reach the final since Joshna Chinappa in 2005.
Currently ranked world No. 20 among seniors (career-best No. 18), Anahat told Patriot last year that her ultimate goal is to become seniors world No. 1.
Ghosal foresees step-by-step progress for Anahat towards attaining that goal.
“On the Professional Squash Association World Tour, she would try to get into the top 10 rankings in 12 to 18 months and be a mainstay there, and then push towards the top five. There is no reason why she can’t do it. She just needs to put her head down and keep working hard, keep evolving and perfecting her identity as a squash player. She will have the best chance, and that will be great for Indian squash,” said the 39-year-old.
Outlining Anahat’s game, Ghosal said she is “fearless with great ambition”.
“She has a lot of belief in herself. And she produces it when it matters most on court, exactly the way she did in the World Junior Championships final. She is extremely talented individual. She always had a lot of skill, and her short game has always been very, very lethal,” he underlined.
After clearing her Class XII exams, Anahat told Patriot this month that her “main focus” would be professional squash, while adding, “I do want to continue my education and go to college. It’s important for me to have both.”
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