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Anahat Singh crowned world junior squash champion
The 18-year-old top seed became the first Indian to win the title, sweeping past her Egyptian opponent in the girls’ final in Canada
Mumbai: Even as Anahat Singh was taking rapid strides on the professional squash tour, a long-standing goal lingered almost desperately in her mind -- the world junior title. She kept having a crack at it and kept falling short.
By the Niagara Falls in Canada’s Ontario, she finally made the leap. And with it scripted history for the country.
Anahat, 18, became India’s first world junior squash champion when she defeated Ruqayya Salem of Egypt 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 in the girls’ final of the 2026 World Squash Junior Championships on Saturday.
The Indian, ranked 20th in the world and seeded No.1 in the event, played every bit like the favourite through the week, showing no signs of pressure or nerves in her quest to upgrade her medal colour in her final crack at the title as a junior.
That wasn’t always the case for this highly-talented teen who has been growing in stature among the pros but kept falling short in squash’s most prestigious junior event. In the previous edition, Anahat returned with a bronze after losing in the semi-finals despite being among the top contenders in the draw.
The semi-finals was as far as she had been to even in the editions before that. Every time the box remained unticked, and the desperation only grew.
And so, once she finally got the job done, she flung her racquet and looked straight towards her team and parents who were cheering on from the stands.
“I still feel like I’m dreaming,” Anahat said in her on-court interview seconds after the win. “This tournament has been the worst for me, losing in semis and quarters in the last few years... This was my last year, so I knew that this was my only chance to win the tournament. This means a lot.”
Less than 24 hours after becoming the first Indian since Joshna Chinappa in 2005 to reach the final of the junior worlds, Anahat began the final on the fast lane. The top seed completely dominated the second-seeded Egyptian across the first two sets, giving away just 10 points. Ruqayya put up a fight in the third set and even took a two-point lead for 8-6 before Anahat steadied the ship and took it home.
