Anahat Singh: Rising Star in Women's Squash Shines at PSA Awards

India's Anahat Singh has emerged as a dominant force in women's squash, capturing two prestigious awards at the PSA Awards 2024-25. The 17-year-old prodigy was honored as the Women's Challenger Player of the Season and shared the title of Women's Young Player of the Season with Egypt's Amina Orfi, as reported by Olympics.com.

Singh's remarkable season kicked off in August with a successful defense of her national title and a win at the HCL Squash Tour in Kolkata, earning her the PSA Challenger Player of the Month award. Over the course of the season, she clinched nine titles in 11 tournaments, including eight Challenger-level victories across various tiers (3k, 9k, 12k, and 15k). Notably, she achieved a 29-match unbeaten streak, underlining her dominance on the circuit.

Her significant achievements included a triumphant run at the Indian Open in Mumbai, where she defeated seasoned player Joshna Chinappa to secure the 15k-level title. Singh also claimed the Under-17 title at the British Junior Open and was instrumental in India's bronze win at the Asian Junior Team Championships in Hong Kong, China. Her stellar performances propelled her to a career-high world ranking of No. 56, making her India's highest-ranked female player.

In April, Singh qualified for the World Squash Championships in Chicago by winning the Asian qualifiers in Malaysia. During her debut at the World Championships in May, she caused a major upset by defeating world No. 29 Marina Stefanoni from the USA in a gripping five-game match, though she fell in the second round to Egypt's world No. 14 Fayrouz Aboelkheir. Notably, Singh shared the Young Player of the Season award with Amina Orfi, the current world junior champion, who also enjoyed a remarkable season, winning her first PSA Gold-level event at the Singapore Open and breaking into the top five globally. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)