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India has just got its new sporting face. Anahat Singh has created history as she became the first Indian ever to win the World Junior Squash Championship. She defeated Egypt's Ruqayya Salem with 3-0 in the girls' singles final that was held at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada. The match was played on Saturday, July 25, 2026 and Anahat showed complete control from start to finish.
This is one of the biggest wins for India in the history of squash. No Indian player had ever won this title before. Here is everything you need to know about how Anahat won the final, why this victory means so much for Indian sport and Anahat’s career timeline.
Match Highlights: How Anahat Singh Won the Final
Here is a brief overview of the entire game:
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First Game: Anahat started strong and didn’t let Salem settle into the match. She won with 11-3 in the opening game with her sharp shots.
Turning Point: In the second game Salem tried quite hard to push back but Anahat stayed calm and finished the game with 11-7
Third Game: Salem fought for every point and tried to change the flow of the match in this game. But Anahat kept her calm
Final Game: In the last game, Anahat fought back harder and clinched the winner title with 11-9.
Anahat sealed the game by completing a 3-0 win and with the final point, she became the first Indian to win World Junior Squash Champion.
Anahat’s run to the final was quite strong. She played six matches across the tournament and dropped only two of them. She began her campaign with wins over Australia's Lilly Wilson, Hong Kong China's Pui Yin Chloe Lo, and Malaysia's Doyce Ye San Lee and her form was quite strong in the finals too.
Who is Anahat Singh? A Brief Career Timeline
Anahat Singh is 18 years old hailing from New Delhi India. She studied at the British School, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi and is trained by former India star Saurav Ghosal as well as Stephane Galifi and Gregory Gaultier. Here is a career timeline of Anahat:
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Year
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Milestone
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2019
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Wins U-11 gold at British Junior Open, first for an Indian sportswoman
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2020
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Wins silver at British Junior Open and Malaysian Junior Open
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2021
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Becomes first Indian woman to win a US Junior Open title (U-15 at Philadelphia)
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2022
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Won U-15 gold at Asian Junior Championships and becomes youngest member of India's Commonwealth Games squad
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2023
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Wins British Junior Open U-15 title; wins two bronze medals at Asian Games (team and mixed doubles)
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2025
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Wins bronze at World Junior Championships in Cairo, India's first individual medal there in 15 years
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2026
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Becomes first Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championship title
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Records Broken by Anahat Singh
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First Indian ever to win the World Junior Squash Championship title.
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She gave the best result for an Indian in the Junior categories and went past Joshna Chinappa's 2005 runner-up finish.
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Ended Egypt’s hold of 15 years on the title.
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First Indian woman to win a US Open junior title in any age category (2021)