At 18, Anahat Singh has already achieved something no Indian squash player had managed before her. On July 25, 2026, the Delhi-born star defeated Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 in the World Junior Squash Championship final in Ontario, Canada, becoming the first Indian to win the girls’ World Junior title.
The victory was not an overnight breakthrough. Anahat had spent years winning junior titles, competing at major senior events and gradually climbing the PSA rankings. Her latest triumph is the biggest chapter yet in a career that began after she unexpectedly moved from badminton to squash.
Quick Summary:
- Full name: Anahat Singh
- Date of birth: March 13, 2008
- Age: 18 years as of August 2026
- Birthplace: New Delhi, India
- Sport: Squash
- Playing style: Right-handed
- Major 2026 achievement: First Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championship
- World Junior final: Defeated Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem 3-0
- Highest reported PSA ranking: World No. 19
- Major senior achievements: World Cup gold, two Asian Championships gold medals and multiple PSA titles
- Major early milestone: Youngest Indian athlete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Who Is Anahat Singh?
Anahat Singh is an Indian professional squash player from New Delhi who has progressed from junior squash prodigy to one of India’s leading women’s players.
Born on March 13, 2008, she entered the international spotlight at a remarkably young age. Her breakthrough came before she had even reached adulthood: in 2022, she represented India at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games at only 14, becoming the youngest member of India’s contingent.
Her development since then has been rapid. She has collected major junior titles, won senior PSA events, represented India at the World Squash Championships and helped the country achieve important team success.
Her 2026 World Junior Championship victory now gives her a place in Indian squash history.
How Old Is Anahat Singh?
Anahat Singh was born on March 13, 2008, making her 18 years old in August 2026. Her birthplace is New Delhi, India.
That age is particularly striking when viewed alongside her résumé. At 14 she was already competing for India at the Commonwealth Games. Four years later, she became a world junior champion and had established herself among the world’s top-ranked women’s squash players.
How Did Anahat Singh Start Playing Squash?
Anahat’s sporting journey did not begin with squash.
As a young child, she was inspired by Indian badminton star P. V. Sindhu and initially took up badminton. Her family already had a strong sporting connection: her parents played field hockey, while her sister also played squash.
Squash entered her life partly through her sister. Anahat began accompanying her to squash-related activities and eventually started playing herself. What initially looked like an experiment soon became a serious sporting pursuit.
The switch proved to be decisive.
Rather than choosing the more obvious route of badminton, Anahat discovered that she enjoyed squash and began producing results. By her early teenage years, she was already winning international junior competitions and attracting attention from India’s squash establishment.
Her early success included victories at prestigious junior events such as the British Junior Open and US Junior Open. She won the British Junior Open Under-11 title in 2019 and the US Junior Open Under-15 title in 2021, both significant results for an Indian women’s junior player.
Those results provided the foundation for her move into senior competition.
Anahat Singh’s Squash Career: From Junior Star to Senior Contender
Anahat’s junior career was unusually successful, but her transition to senior squash has arguably been even more impressive.
Commonwealth Games Breakthrough at 14
In 2022, Anahat was selected for India’s Commonwealth Games squad in Birmingham. At just 14 years old, she became the youngest athlete in India’s contingent.
She competed in women’s singles and doubles, gaining experience against established senior players. She did not leave Birmingham with a medal, but the tournament gave her something equally valuable at that stage: exposure to the intensity and pressure of elite senior sport.
Later, at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, she contributed to India’s bronze-medal performances in the women’s team and mixed-doubles events.
These early senior appearances showed that her junior success was not simply a product of age-group competition.
National Champion and Asian Junior Success
Anahat continued building her résumé in 2023 and 2024.
She won the Asian Junior Under-17 title in 2023 and became India’s senior national champion. Her junior record also includes Indian national titles across multiple age groups, underlining just how consistently she performed as she moved through the junior system.
By this point, the conversation around Anahat was changing. She was no longer simply a promising teenager. She was becoming a serious senior-level player.
The Breakthrough 2025 Season
The 2024-25 season was arguably the turning point in Anahat’s professional career.
She won nine titles across 11 tournaments during the season and produced a 29-match unbeaten run. Her performances earned her the PSA Women’s Challenger Player of the Year award and a share of the PSA Women’s Young Player of the Year award with Egypt’s Amina Orfi.
She also won the British Junior Open Under-17 title and the Indian Open, while making her debut at the senior World Squash Championships.
Her World Championship debut was particularly notable. Anahat defeated then-world No. 28 Marina Stefanoni of the United States in a five-game match before exiting in the second round.
That result demonstrated that her game could translate to the highest senior level.
Breaking Into the World Top 20
Anahat’s ranking continued to climb in 2025 and early 2026.
One of her biggest senior breakthroughs came at the Squash on Fire Open 2026 in Washington. She defeated England’s world No. 10 Georgina Kennedy 12-10, 11-5, 11-7 in the final to win her first PSA World Tour Bronze-level title. The victory pushed her to world No. 19, then a career-best ranking.
That ranking milestone matters because the senior PSA rankings are a much tougher test than junior competition. Breaking into the world’s top 20 at 17 shows how quickly Anahat has adapted to the professional circuit.
Anahat Singh’s Major Achievements and Records
Anahat’s résumé now includes achievements across junior, senior and team competitions.
First Indian World Junior Squash Champion
The defining moment came in July 2026.
Seeded No. 1 at the World Junior Squash Championship in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Anahat progressed through the tournament before defeating Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem in the final.
The score was decisive: 11-3, 11-7, 11-9.
The victory made Anahat the first Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championship. It also ended a long period of Egyptian dominance in the women’s event.
For context, Joshna Chinappa had previously reached the final in 2005, but India had never produced a women’s world junior champion until Anahat’s victory.
World Cup Gold With India
Anahat was also part of India’s historic 2025 Squash World Cup victory, helping the country win its first title in the competition.
That achievement is important because it demonstrates her value beyond individual tournaments. Squash is often associated with individual competition, but international team events demand a different kind of preparation and composure.
Two Asian Championships Gold Medals
In 2025, Anahat won gold in both women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Asian Championships. She partnered with Joshna Chinappa in women’s doubles and Abhay Singh in mixed doubles.
She also completed an impressive progression through the Asian junior system, winning titles at Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 levels.
PSA Awards Recognition
Her performances earned major recognition from the Professional Squash Association.
At the 2025 PSA Awards, Anahat shared the Young Player of the Year honour and won the Challenger Player of the Year award. She had already earned Challenger Player of the Month recognition during her breakthrough season.
These awards help explain why her rise has attracted attention beyond India. She has not merely collected junior trophies; she has been recognised for her impact on the professional Challenger circuit.
What Makes Anahat Singh’s Rise So Significant?
Anahat’s story stands out because of the speed and consistency of her progression.
Many junior champions struggle when they enter senior squash. The pace becomes faster, opponents are physically stronger and tactical mistakes are punished immediately. Anahat, however, has continued to win as the level has increased.
Her 2025 season showed that she could defeat experienced professionals. Her 2026 ranking rise showed she could sustain that form. And her World Junior Championship victory demonstrated that she could handle the pressure of being the top seed in a major tournament.
There is also a psychological element to her 2026 title.
Before winning the World Junior Championship, Anahat had experienced quarter-final and semi-final disappointments at the event in previous years. She entered the 2026 tournament knowing it was her final opportunity to win the junior crown.
Instead of allowing that pressure to overwhelm her, she produced her best performance when the stakes were highest.
That may ultimately prove more important than any individual ranking number.
Anahat Singh’s Squash Records at a Glance
| Record / Achievement | Details |
|---|---|
| World Junior Championship | First Indian champion, 2026 |
| Commonwealth Games | Youngest Indian athlete in the 2022 contingent |
| World ranking | Reached No. 19 in 2026 |
| PSA World Tour | Won Squash on Fire Open 2026 |
| PSA Awards | Young Player of the Year, 2025 |
| PSA Challenger Awards | Challenger Player of the Year, 2025 |
| World Cup | Gold with India in 2025 |
| Asian Championships | Gold in women’s doubles and mixed doubles, 2025 |
| Asian Games | Bronze in women’s team and mixed doubles |
| British Junior Open | Multiple age-group titles |
| US Junior Open | Under-15 champion in 2021 |
The combination of junior and senior achievements makes her record particularly unusual for a player who is only 18.
What Could Be Next for Anahat Singh?
The junior chapter of Anahat Singh’s career has now closed with the perfect ending: a world title.
The bigger challenge begins now.
Her next target is establishing herself permanently among the world’s elite senior players. Reaching No. 19 has already put her within sight of the top 10, but staying there requires consistency against the best players week after week.
Her performances against higher-ranked opponents suggest that she has the tools to make that leap. The victory over Georgina Kennedy, a former world No. 10, is one clear example. Her win over Marina Stefanoni at the 2025 World Championships is another.
The next phase will be less about proving she belongs and more about how high she can climb.
That makes Anahat one of the most intriguing young names in Indian squash heading toward the sport’s Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The road there will be demanding, but her trajectory makes the possibility of Olympic success a realistic long-term ambition rather than merely a promotional talking point.
FAQ: Anahat Singh
Who is Anahat Singh?
Anahat Singh is an Indian professional squash player from New Delhi. Born in 2008, she became the first Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championship in 2026 after defeating Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem in the final.
How old is Anahat Singh?
Anahat Singh was born on March 13, 2008, so she is 18 years old as of August 2026. She began competing internationally at a very young age and represented India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games when she was only 14.
What is Anahat Singh’s biggest achievement?
Her biggest achievement to date is winning the 2026 World Junior Squash Championship, making her the first Indian player to win the title. She defeated Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 in the final.
What is Anahat Singh’s highest squash ranking?
Anahat Singh reached world No. 19 in the PSA women’s singles rankings in February 2026 after winning the Squash on Fire Open.
Conclusion
Anahat Singh’s story is no longer simply that of a talented Indian junior. At 18, she has already competed at the Commonwealth Games, won major junior and senior titles, collected international medals, broken into the world’s top 20 and become India’s first World Junior Squash champion.
The most interesting part may be what comes next. Her junior career has ended with a historic title; her senior career is only beginning to reach its most competitive stage. If her progression continues, Anahat Singh could become one of the defining faces of Indian squash over the next decade.
