'My goal is to win World Juniors': Anahat Singh after clinching HCL Squash Tour title

Chennai: Indian squash sensation Anahat Singh looks unstoppable. She has been making waves in the squash arena ever since she picked up the racket and she continues to rise in stardom.

The prodigy recently won the HCL Squash Tour in Chennai in great style by decimating her opponent Rathika 3-0 in the final. She also clinched the U-19 women's title of the Southern Slam event which took place alongside the PSA event.

Speaking about the match and the tournament, Anahat said, "It feels good to win. It is my first tournament since my board exams. During the exams, I was not able to practice much but I played in both the juniors and seniors and am happy to win both."

"I am not playing at my best right now since I have not practised a lot but still, I am happy about getting the win," she told The Bridge on the sidelines of the HCL Squash Tour 2024.

Her performance showed anything but rustiness given how easily she managed to wrap up the final in under 30 minutes, winning 11-5, 11-3, and 11-3.

Extremely supportive family and coach

Anahat spoke extensively about her family's support and her coach's efforts to ensure Anahat's training was on point. "A coach is the most important person in squash and my coach has been very helpful," she said.

"He stays in Bombay and even though it is very hard for him, he makes the effort to travel and come see me every month to ensure I am on top of my game and I am training well," she added.

"My family has been extremely supportive as well," said Anahat, adding "My parents accompany me to every tournament and they are taking care of me to the fullest. Since I am young now, they also travel with me everywhere. They are very important to me, both of them."

Eyes locked on Los Angeles Olympics

Speaking of her next assignment, Anahat has her eyes locked on the 2024 World Juniors, scheduled to be held in July in the USA, the biggest junior-level tournament in the sport.

"In just about a month, there is the World Juniors. That is the biggest tournament at the junior level and I want to do well there. I want to win the championship there and also look to do well to increase my PSA ranking," she said.

Currently ranked 106, Anahat talked about getting her rankings up amongst the world's best. "The goal is to first get into the top 50 rankings, and then from there get into the top 20, and make my way up," she added.

With squash becoming a part of the Olympics starting from the 2028 Los Angeles Games, Anahat has already fixed her eyes on the event already.

"It bodes well for the game and for India that squash is now part of the Olympics. It would be an incredible achievement to win a medal there. All of us have our eyes set on it and hopefully, I make it there and win a medal as well," she remarked.

She is no stranger to winning medals at big stages, with her biggest being the Asian Games in Hangahzou where she won two bronze medals as a 15-year-old, one in the team event and another in the mixed doubles partnering with Abhay Singh.