Anahat Singh made history on Saturday by becoming the first Indian squash player to win the World Junior Squash Championships title. The 18-year-old defeated Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem 3-0 (11-3, 11-7, 11-9) in the girls’ singles final at Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada.
India’s No. 1 squash player and the top seed in the tournament was in control throughout the final. She beat the second-seeded Salem in straight games to claim the historic title.
Her win also ended Egypt’s 15-year dominance of the girls’ junior world title, which had been held by Egyptian players since 2011.
Anahat surpasses Joshna Chinappa’s record
Anahat’s victory is India’s best-ever result in the girls’ singles event at the junior world championships. Before this, Joshna Chinappa’s runner-up finish in 2005 was India’s best performance at the tournament. That record had stood for more than two decades.
The title also adds to an impressive rise for Anahat, who is currently ranked No. 20 in the world on the senior PSA Tour.
A dominant run to the title
Anahat was in excellent form throughout the tournament and lost just two games in six matches on her way to the title.
She began her campaign with a straight-games win over Australian qualifier Lilly Wilson. She then defeated Hong Kong China’s Pui Yin Chloe Lo and Malaysia’s Doyce Ye San Lee to reach the quarter-finals.
The Indian teenager then faced the first of three Egyptian opponents in a row. She beat Habiba Rizk 3-1 (11-7, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9) in the quarter-finals.
Anahat then defeated Barb Sameh 3-1 (11-3, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6) in the semi-finals before beating Salem in the final to lift the trophy.
Who is Anahat Singh?
Anahat was born in New Delhi on March 13, 2008, to Tani Vadehra and Gursharan Singh. Her mother is an interior designer, while her father is a lawyer. Both her parents played field hockey, while her uncle played tennis.
Inspired by Indian badminton star PV Sindhu, Anahat picked up a badminton racket when she was just five years old. She watched Sindhu and dreamed of one day winning an Olympic medal herself.
However, her journey eventually took her to squash.
Anahat used to accompany her sister Amira, who played squash. After taking part in a few squash tournaments and performing well, she started enjoying the sport and decided to make the switch from badminton to squash. That decision would go on to shape her career.
A young star rises through junior squash
Anahat first made a name for herself in 2019 when she won the Under-11 title at the British Junior Open. That same year, she also won the European Junior Open, Dutch Junior Open and Scottish Junior Open titles.
In 2021, she won the US Junior Open title after beating Egypt’s Jayda Marei. The following year was another big one for the young Indian player. She won the German Junior Open, the Dutch Junior Open and the Under-15 title at the Asian Junior Championships.
At just 14 years old, Anahat also became the youngest athlete to represent India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Her rise continued in the years that followed. In 2025, she was named Young Player of the Year and Challenger Player of the Year at the PSA Awards.
She has also won a gold medal at the World Cup, two gold medals at the Asian Championships and a bronze at the World Junior Championships before finally claiming the junior world title in 2026.
Egypt’s long reign finally ends
Anahat’s victory brought an end to Egypt’s long run of dominance in the girls’ junior world championship. Egyptian players had won the title every year since 2011.
The draw also opened up for the Indian player this year after four-time champion Amina Orfi of Egypt became ineligible to compete in the junior event because of her age.
Anahat had already ended India’s 15-year wait for an individual medal at the junior world championships last year, when she won bronze in Cairo.
This time, she went one step further and won the title.
Anahat the only Indian to reach the late stages
Anahat was the only Indian player to make a deep run in the girls’ singles event. Rudra Singh, Anika Dubey and Saanvi Kalanki were all knocked out in the round of 32.
In the boys’ singles, reigning Asian junior champion Aryaveer Dewan was India’s best performer. He reached the last 16 before his campaign ended.
Yusha Nafees and Gurveer Singh were knocked out in the round of 32, while Purav Rambhia was eliminated in the round of 64.
The historic victory comes at an important time for Indian squash, with the sport set to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.