When young athletes step on to play an opponent they once looked up to, they often speak about enjoying the moment, relishing the opportunity and soaking in the experience.
In the biggest victory yet of her blossoming career, Anahat Singh stunned Egypt’s eight-time world champion Nour El Sherbini (@PMOIndia X)
Anahat Singh did all of that in her first encounter with Nour El Sherbini. And, walked out a winner.
In the biggest victory yet of her blossoming career, the 18-year-old Indian stunned Egypt’s eight-time world champion 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-7) in the second round of the Silicon Valley Open, a PSA gold event, in California’s Redwood City.
It’s a remarkable result on several counts – not least the straight-games scoreline against the top seed.
Anahat is at a career-high ranking of 15 while Nour, a former multiple-times world No.1, still sits at No.3. The Indian teen secured her first Asian Games individual medal, a silver, only last month while the 30-year-old Egyptian gobbled eight World Championships gold medals, the joint most by a woman with Malaysian legend Nicol David, between 2015 and 2025. When Nour became the youngest world junior champion in history in 2009, coincidentally on Indian soil, Anahat was one.
“It feels unreal,” Anahat told PSA. “I grew up watching every single match of hers. I admire her so much.”
Putting that admiration aside, even if briefly, was a key pre-match topic between her and Harinder Pal Sandhu, India’s national coach accompanying Anahat at the tournament.
“Sometimes when you play greats of the game, too much respect gets in the way. This match for Anahat was more about the mind than tactics,” Sandhu told HT from the US. “My conversations with her were about keeping Nour’s stature aside, and reminding her that you are the world junior champion and world No.15.”
Starting the year outside the top 25, Anahat grabbed the biggest PSA title of her career at the Squash on Fire Open in February. Five months on, she became the first Indian to be crowned the world junior champion. Two months on, she became the first Indian woman to win an individual silver at the Asian Games. A month on, she scripted her career’s biggest win.
The Indian teen is not just routinely rubbing shoulders with the world’s best now, she is also starting to get past them. Anahat won the Squash on Fire Open title defeating current world No.8 Georgina Kennedy in the final. At last month’s London Squash Classic, she beat the then 11th-ranked Nele Gilis. At Aichi-Nagoya, she produced a memorable fightback against world No.6 Satomi Watanabe to confirm a historic medal. Even as most of India’s Asian Games medallists basked in the celebration at home, Anahat was back to business in Egypt nine days after her last match in Japan.
“This result, just after the Asian Games, is a very big achievement,” said Sandhu. “The most pleasing thing for me was that she did not allow her to stage a comeback.”
At the Egyptian Squash Open, Anahat led world No.7 Fayrouz Aboelkheir by two games to one before Fayrouz turned it around. The Indian was wary of a similar fightback from a champion who has been there and done that for years and shares the same coach as her: former French world No.1 Gregory Gaultier. Flaunting the variety in her game that troubled Watanabe in Japan, Anahat frequently targeted the front corners against Nour.
“The tactics were about not allowing Nour to dictate the pace, and playing to Anahat’s style rather than engaging in conventional long rallies,” said Sandhu.
Almost fittingly, the 18-year-old capped off the clinical show with an angled backhand volley that died on an outstretched 30-year-old. Anahat turned around wearing a look of disbelief. A couple of seconds later, Nour walked across and gave her a hug. The child who grew up following a colossal of the sport had just outclassed her.
