Anahat Singh reacted to her historic victory in the Junior Squad World Championship after beating Egyptian star Ruqayya Salem 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 in straight
sets during the summit clash of the 2026 edition of the tournament, which took place at the White Oaks Resort & Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada on Saturday (July 25). She became the first Indian to win the title in history and only the second player from Asia. Reacting to her victory, Anahat claimed the victory felt like a dream. She also expressed relief at finally winning the competition after winning short in previous years and claimed the tournament was cursed for her. This was the final year that the teenager was eligible to participate in the junior world championship. "I means the world. I still feel like I'm dreaming. I've been losing in the semis and quarters over the last four years. I've always said, if anyone's asked, 'This tournament's a curse,' and I've never been able to play well in the event. This is my last year (as a junior) and my only chance to win it. It means the world. I knew if I'm stressed, I play terribly, so I just came out on court and hit my lines well. I wanted to enjoy every moment of getting to play in a world championship final," she said in an interaction with Squash TV. Anahat won a bronze medal in the 2025 edition after losing the semi-final but was knocked out in the quarter-finals in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Anahat also created history after ending Egypt's 15-year dominance of the event. The 18-year-old is the first non-Egyptian player to win the competition since 2010, when Amanda Shobby from the United States of America (USA) won the event. All 15 editions since 2011 were won by an Egyptian player. Anahat will now aim to add to her already accomplished career at the 2026 Asian Games, which will take place from 19th to 4th October in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
