PM Modi congratulated World Junior Squash Champion Anahat Singh on his historic victory. Anahat is the first Indian to win this title. She won the gold medal by defeating Egypt’s Ruqaiya Salem 3-0 in the final. The PM said that this will inspire the youth.
New Delhi [भारत]July 26 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded Anahat Singh’s historic win at the World Squash Junior Championship. He said that his historic achievement will make squash popular among the youth.
Anahat created history by becoming the first Indian to win the World Squash Junior Championship title by defeating Ruqayya Salem of Egypt 3-0 in the girls singles final on Saturday. In an ex-post, PM Modi congratulated Anahat on becoming the first Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championship title. He said that his historic gold medal will inspire more youth to take up the sport.
“A historic achievement at the 2026 World Junior Squash Championships. Proud of Anahat Singh for winning the gold medal and becoming the first Indian squash player to win a World Junior Championship title. This achievement will further popularize squash among the youth,” he said in the X Post.
A historic achievement at the 2026 World Junior Squash Championships. Anahat Singh is proud that she won the gold medal and became the first Indian squash player to win the World Junior Championship title. This achievement will make squash more popular among the youth.… pic.twitter.com/NtvHnrKNDQ — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 26, 2026
Historic final and title win
According to Olympics.com, top seed and India’s No. 1 player Anahat defeated second seed Salem 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 to clinch the historic title. She surpassed Joshna Chinappa’s 2005 runner-up performance, which remained India’s best performance at the Junior World Championships for more than two decades.
The 18-year-old remained in complete control throughout the final and concluded his brilliant campaign, which saw him lose only two games in six matches.
Journey to quarter-finals and semi-finals in the tournament
Anahat started her campaign with a straight games win over Australian qualifier Lily Wilson. After this, she made it to the quarter-finals by defeating Pui Yin Chloe Lo of Hong Kong, China and Doyas Ye San Lee of Malaysia.
She defeated Habiba Rizk of Egypt 3-1 (11-7, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9) in the quarterfinals and then defeated another Egyptian, Barb Sameh, 3-1 (11-3, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6) in the semi-finals.
Ended Egypt’s dominance
The victory over Salem in the final also ended Egypt’s dominance at the Junior Girls World Championships, which had been held by Egyptian players since 2011. Anahat had ended India’s 15-year wait for an individual medal at the Junior World Championships by winning a bronze medal in Cairo last year. This time, he went one step further and won the gold medal.
Performance of other Indian players
Four-time champion Amina Orfi of Egypt not being eligible to take part in the junior event also made the draw easier for Anahat. Anahat was the only Indian player to advance into the girls’ singles draw. Rudra Singh, Anika Dubey and Saanvi Kalanki were eliminated in the round of 32. In boys’ singles, defending Asian junior champion Aryveer Diwan was India’s best performer, reaching the last 16. Yusha Nafees and Gurveer Singh were eliminated in the Round of 32, while Purav Rambhiya was eliminated in the Round of 64.
Now eyes on Olympics
Anahat, who is currently ranked 20th 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. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet News editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)