Anahat Singh looks to build on her Worlds performance

CHENNAI: Teen sensation Anahat Singh is carving her path to the top. At just 17, she made her debut at the World Squash Championships — the sole Indian woman in the tournament. She made a significant statement in the prestigious event, stunning world No. 28 Marina Stefanoni of the USA with a hard-fought 3-2 first-round victory in Chicago.

Though she fell 1-3 to Egypt’s Fayrouz Aboelkheir in the following round, Anahat made her presence felt on the global stage and gained invaluable experience at that level. The lessons she learnt at the Worlds have come in handy at the HCL National Doubles Squash Championship, where is partnering veteran Joshna Chinappa in women’s doubles and Abhay Singh in mixed doubles.

Anahat and Joshna broke no sweat during their crushing 11-5, 11-5 win over V Deepika and Janet Vidhi in the women’s doubles Group A encounter here on Tuesday.

Speaking about how she adapts to tournaments with different standards, Anahat said: “The experience at the Worlds was really good. I did not have any pressure to win as it was more of just going and doing my best. I got to see how the senior players train and what it is like to compete there. Playing in the World Championships is completely different to competing in a normal PSA event. The mentality is completely different,” Anahat said.

“One area where I need to work on more is physical strength. I did not have much time to work on it and I am trying to figure out how to focus on the physicality. Overall, I do not like to warm up and cool down. Everyone says it is important, but I feel that there is a lot more than those and I am slowly learning,” Anahat added.

Anahat has made some changes to her game since she began training under renowned French coach Gregory Gaultier. Although she does not train with him all year, she spends quality time in Prague ahead of major competitions. “I think overall, my game has definitely improved a lot. When I go to Prague and train with him, I only play with those who are better than me, unlike in Delhi. I feel much more confident now when I enter the court, and that has given me the belief to compete in top events.”

After the National Doubles Championship, Anahat will compete in the British Open (qualifiers) and then shift her focus to the Asian and World Junior Championships. “My aim is to win a medal in world juniors and I have been thinking about it for the past three years. I have lost in the quarterfinals every time. Hopefully, I can break the curse this time.”


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