India’s teenage squash sensation Anahat Singh made a stunning debut at the prestigious British Open 2025, defeating Scotland’s former World No. 21 Lisa Aitken in a commanding 3-1 victory.
The match, which lasted just 22 minutes, saw Anahat dominate with scores of 11-3, 6-11, 11-8, 11-3.
With this impressive win, Anahat has advanced to the second round, where she will face a tough opponent in World No. 8 Sivasangari Subramaniam of Malaysia.
At just 17 years of age, Anahat Singh has made history by becoming the youngest player in the women’s main draw of the British Open since Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini achieved the feat in 2012.
Her path to the main draw has been nothing short of spectacular, as she breezed through the qualifying rounds with a display of maturity, control, and tactical brilliance.
In the final qualifying round, Anahat dispatched France’s World No. 50 Marie Stephan in straight games, winning 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 in just 32 minutes.
Prior to that, she put on another dominant performance against England’s 13th seed and World No. 71 Mille Tomlinson, winning 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 in only 24 minutes.
Her campaign had begun with a convincing 3-0 victory over South Africa’s Hayley Ward, with game scores of 12-10, 11-3, 11-9. These results not only secured her a spot in the main draw but also showcased her readiness to compete at the highest level of the sport.
While Anahat continued to shine, other Indian players faced tough challenges in the qualifying rounds.
Akanksha Salunkhe suffered a narrow defeat in the first qualifying round, losing to Madeleine Hylland of Norway in a closely contested five-game match that ended 11-6, 11-7, 4-11, 5-11, 11-9.
Veer Chotrani also exited early after a hard-fought battle against Switzerland’s David Bernet, eventually going down 3-2 in a match that saw scores of 11-9, 14-12, 11-13, 5-11, 12-10.
Anahat Singh, currently ranked World No. 57 now joins fellow Indians Abhay Singh (World No. 38) and Velavan Senthilkumar (World No. 45) in the main draw of the tournament.
Both Abhay and Velavan qualified directly on the basis of their PSA World Rankings.
The British Open, regarded as the “Wimbledon of Squash,” is one of the oldest and most prestigious events on the PSA World Tour.
The 2025 edition, held in Birmingham from May 31 to June 8, continues its legacy as a Diamond-level event that attracts the best talent from across the globe.