Anahat SinghAnahat Singh's first reaction after winning the World Junior Squash Championship was not about what the title might do to her profile. “I think it's a good way to end my junior career, I'd say, because it's my last year playing juniors as well.
“I've been playing squash for 10 years, and it's a good note to end it and start my senior career so I can start it confidently and in a good way as well.” The timing is crucial because the Asian Games are already here.
Anahat is the third seed in the women's singles draw at Aichi-Nagoya, with a first-round bye. World No.
6 Satomi Watanabe is the second seed; defending champion Sivasangari Subramaniam is the top seed. And the singles gold also carries an Olympic consequence as well.
The women's singles winner gets a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, where squash will make its Olympic debut. Anahat already has experience of having played at the Asian Games once.
At Hangzhou, three years back, she won bronze in the women's team event and another bronze in mixed doubles. This time she is in the singles draw and understands the importance of the continental event.
The Asian Games comes next“The Asian Games is way more important. And it's a pivotal point in my career as well for me to reach the LA 2028.
And I think just working more towards that and focusing on one thing at a time, and not focusing on what's there in two years and just taking it step by step.” she said.
“I mean, I think that's one thing that my parents have always taught me since I've started playing squash that once an event is over, OK, you enjoy it for like a few more days. And then once it's done, you focus on the next event.”
“It's still just the junior stage, I still have to go into the seniors, and I think this event is just something that gives me more confidence going into the seniors knowing that, you know, like I've mentioned before that I'm ending juniors in a very good note and I can start off my new chapter really well and, you know, continue to do well and hopefully be a world champion in the senior stage as well and not just in the juniors.” There had been something to build on before the World Junior Championship.
“I went for a tournament in Hong Kong, one of my first senior tournaments, and I played a girl from Belgium, ranked inside the top 20, and I had a 3-1 with her. ”“So I think just that match specifically was something that really turned my mentality around where I was like, I really need to push and I can, you know, I really want to play more events like this.
