Who’s that girl?
She is 18 years old and has reached the world’s top 20. She is the youngest Asian to achieve the feat in recent times. Her recent exploits include winning her second consecutive JSW Indian Open title and the PSA Bronze title in Washington.
She is ANAHAT SINGH, the squash prodigy. Her achievements in the world of Indian sports compares, perhaps, only to that of Sachin Tendulkar’s, who at this age could boast of a first Australian century, and the title of leading run scorer in Australia.
From this moment on
It all began with the dream to be the next P V Sindhu. But, then, the dream shifted. She began winning junior squash tournaments before she turned ten. She made her mark on the world stage at the age of 11 when she won the 2019 British Junior Open. She continued to impress global audiences by winning the bronze in the doubles and the mixed doubles games at the 2023 Olympics. She was hardly 15 years old.
Stronger together
Today, Anahat trains under coaches Stéphane Galifi and former world No. 1 Grégory Gaultier. Indian squash icon Saurav Ghosal is her mentor, helping her choose which tournaments to enter and how to pace her season. Despite her meteoric rise, Anahat remains grounded: “If I didn’t have the team that I have now, I don’t think I would be where I am now.”
Unstoppable: Anahat’s game is built on work ethic, calmness under pressure, tactical astuteness, technical polish. Observes are often taken aback when they learn her age. Her Italian coach, Stephane Galifi has been known to compare her to a sponge, learning and absorbing everything quickly.
On top of the world
Winning a medal at the Olympics is the dream come true for every athlete — and that’s definitely something Anahat has in mind as she plays even the smaller tournaments, because it all leads up to that. And, along with Anahat Singh, we all wait for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Outside the court
Anahat has appeared for her class XII board exams this year. If she gets any time between squash and school, she devotes it to painting. In her most recent work, she overlayed pictures of squash and Delhi, the two worlds which, she admits proudly, make her identity.
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