Toronto: Top-seed Anahat Singh has scripted history by becoming the country’s first squash player to win the junior world title after defeating Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem 3-0 in the girls’ singles final of the World Squash Junior Championships 2026 at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada.
The 18-year-old Indian prodigy overcame second seed Salem 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 to win the gold medal.
This is a significant achievement, as a player from Egypt had won this title for 16 consecutive years, and Anahat broke that monopoly without dropping a game.
In the boys’ singles, reigning Asian junior champion Aryaveer Dewan was India’s best performer, reaching the last 16. Yusha Nafees and Gurveer Singh exited in the round of 32, while Purav Rambhia was knocked out in the round of 64.
Anahat, currently ranked No. 20 in the world on the senior PSA Tour, will now look to build on her historic achievement as squash prepares to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
In the world of squash, beating three Egyptians back-to-back is an achievement in itself. To then end their 16-year-old hold on the title and win India’s first is an incredible performance the teenager, who was also India’s first finalist in the event in over 20 years — the first since Joshna Chinappa in 2005.
Earlier this year, Anahat had said this World Championship would be her last junior tournament as she has transitioned to the senior circuit, and is already a top-20 player in the world. She had had won a bronze medal the year before and wanted to changed that colour, which she did in a commanding manner.
She dropped only two games in the tournament and in the final as well, was aggressive and took charge of the match early on and went on to win in straight games.
Anahat has always been seen as a future champion. She debuted for India when she was only 14 years old – incidentally at the 2022 Commonwealth Games – and won medals at the Asian Games at 16. With squash now an Olympic sport, Anahat has been in the spotlight and has managed to deliver under pressure, like back-to-back India Open wins in Mumbai. This World Junior title is yet another example of it, and just another step on the road for the Indian squash prodigy.
