Anahat Singh Makes History as India's First Junior World Squash Champion

Historic Victory for Anahat Singh

Anahat Singh has etched her name in history by becoming the first Indian to clinch the junior world squash championship title. She achieved this remarkable feat by defeating Egypt's Ruqayya Salem in the girls' singles final at the 2026 World Squash Junior Championships held in Canada. The 18-year-old, who was the top seed, triumphed over the second seed Salem with a score of 11-3, 11-7, 11-9, winning in straight games at Niagara-on-the-Lake on Saturday.

This victory is a significant milestone for Indian squash, as Anahat is the first player from the nation to secure the junior world title. Her achievement surpasses the previous best performance by Joshna Chinappa, who finished as a runner-up in 2005, a record that stood for over twenty years.

Ranked as India's top female player and holding the 20th position in the senior PSA Tour, Anahat displayed exceptional skill throughout the tournament. She lost only two games across six matches and did not drop a single game in her first three matches.

In response to her victory, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya expressed his congratulations on X, stating, "History Made! Congratulations to Anahat Singh on becoming the first Indian ever to win the World Squash Junior Championship. A phenomenal achievement and a proud moment for every Indian."

Anahat's journey to the title began with a straight-games victory against Australian qualifier Lilly Wilson, followed by wins over Hong Kong's Pui Yin Chloe Lo and Malaysia's Doyce Ye San Lee, propelling her to the quarter-finals. She then faced three consecutive opponents from Egypt, defeating Habiba Rizk 11-7, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9 in the quarter-finals and Barb Sameh 11-3, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6 in the semi-finals before securing her championship win against Salem.

This victory also marked the end of Egypt's stronghold on the girls' event, as Egyptian players had dominated the titles since 2011. Anahat had previously made headlines by winning a bronze medal in Cairo last year, ending a 15-year wait for an individual medal for India at the junior world championships. Notably, this year's competition was missing four-time champion Amina Orfi of Egypt, who was ineligible to compete.

In the boys' singles, reigning Asian junior champion Aryaveer Dewan reached the last 16, while Yusha Nafees and Gurveer Singh were eliminated in the round of 32, and Purav Rambhia exited in the round of 64. Squash is set to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.