17-year-old squash star Anahat Singh attains her career-best rank

Anahat Singh, India’s best woman squash player, on December 8 attained her career-best 28 world ranking, just a few days after breaking into the top 30 for the first time. And with that, the 17-year-old Delhi-based ace has become the top-ranked Indian squash player across genders, as the top male player, Abhay Singh, slipped one spot to 29th on the same day.

Rankings are released every week by the Professional Squash Association (PSA), which manages the men’s and women’s global tours.

Anahat first clinched the Daly College SRFI Indian Open, a PSA Bronze-level event, in Indore on November 22, beating veteran compatriot Joshna Chinappa in a tough five-set final. This triumph helped Anahat break into the top 30 for the first time, attaining the 29th rank.

Then, in her next tournament, Anahat again defeated 39-year-old Joshna in another five-setter final to win the HCL Squash Indian Tour 4 crown in Chennai on December 5, just four days before the start of the six-day mixed World Cup on December 9 in the same city. This win took her to the 28th rank.

One-spot rise matters

Anahat reacted pragmatically on achieving her career-best rank.

“I am quite happy. I knew after the HCL Squash Indian Tour 4 tournament in Chennai got over on December 5 that my ranking would be going up, but didn’t know how much exactly. So, I was quite happy when I found out on December 8 that it was the 28th. I am still trying to take it even if it is one spot up,” Anahat told Patriot.

The best rank an Indian woman has attained ever is 10th. Dipika Pallikal, now 34, was the first one to achieve that honour, in 2012. Four years later, Joshna emulated Dipika.

Now, Anahat is set to go beyond the two stalwarts. In September, she had told Patriot in an interview that she would like to be world No. 1 someday. She is, however, in no hurry. “I am trying to take one spot at a time. I am not thinking about who was at the top spot and I am not trying to beat her rank. I am trying to win every tournament I am playing,” she said matter-of-factly.

Upcoming events

A Class XII student of New Delhi’s British School, some more tough tournaments are lined up for Anahat in the USA in the next few months.

“I will be playing a few tournaments, until the end of March or the beginning of April when my Board exams start sometime at the end of that month. I will be playing the Sprott Tournament of Champions, a Platinum event, from January 22–29 in New York City, and the Windy City Open, another Platinum event, February 5–11 in Chicago. Besides those, I have not decided to play too many before my Board exams,” she said.

However, it is likely that Anahat, as both she and her mother indicated, may also play the Squash on Fire Open, a PSA Bronze event, from January 28–February 1, in Washington.

Also in February, Anahat will have to take her pre-Board exams before the proper Board exams start sometime in April and go up to the end of May.

Choosing events wisely

Anahat picks and chooses her tournaments — preferably the PSA Platinum and Gold events — with an eye on collecting as many ranking points as possible, if not so much on winning the title every time. In PSA Platinum and Gold events, in which the world’s top players compete, even if she loses in the initial rounds, she collects many points that boost her ranking.