India’s squash prodigy Anahat Singh lit up the Tournament of Champions courts in New York, clinching a hard-earned second-round berth by toppling England’s Lucy Turmel 11-3, 11-6, 9-11, 13-11. Her commanding baseline game and pinpoint forehand finishers proved decisive in the see-saw contest.
The Delhi teenager now faces a stern test against Japan’s No. 6 Satomi Watanabe. Anahat’s form is red-hot, coming off a stellar run at the British Junior Open where she stormed to the under-19 final. A close defeat to France’s Lauren Baltayan followed a blistering semifinal win over Egypt’s Malika El Karaksy in under half an hour.
This year, Anahat has rewritten her story on the PSA Tour, surging to world No. 28 and challenging the sport’s best. In Chennai’s HCL Squash Indian Tour 4, she outlasted Joshna Chinappa—once world No. 10—in a five-set thriller for the title. She also pocketed her 13th PSA crown at Indore’s Daly College SRFI Indian Open, cementing her status as India’s next big thing.
Contrastingly, Abhay Singh’s campaign ended abruptly. India’s world No. 29 traded blows with Spain’s Iker Pajares but lost 4-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-3, 3-11. Abhay’s recent heroics in India’s groundbreaking mixed team World Cup win offered little solace in this early exit.
With Anahat carrying the flag high, Indian squash fans are buzzing with anticipation for deeper runs in New York.