London Squash Classic: Indian teenager Anahat Singh’s run at the London Squash Classic came to an abrupt end on Friday as Malaysian third seed Sivasangari Subramaniam produced a commanding display to secure a 2-0 victory in the women’s quarterfinals.
The 18-year-old Indian, ranked 20th in the world and the reigning world junior champion, struggled to impose herself against the world No. 5 from the outset. Sivasangari controlled the rallies and consistently pushed Anahat towards the back of the court before completing an 11-4, 11-4 victory in just 17 minutes.
The result ended Anahat’s campaign at the USD 144,000 PSA Gold event after she had produced one of her better performances in the previous round. The Indian had overcome eighth-seeded Belgian Nele Gilis in a hard-fought three-game encounter to reach the last eight.
Sivasangari, a former London Squash Classic champion, will now meet second-seeded Egyptian Amina Orfi in the semifinals. Orfi, the reigning world champion, awaits the Malaysian in what promises to be a high-quality last-four contest.
For Anahat, however, the defeat also provides an early indication of the challenge awaiting her at the Asian Games. Sivasangari is currently the highest-ranked player from Asia and is expected to be one of India’s principal hurdles when the continental competition gets underway in Japan.
The stakes at the Asian Games will be particularly significant, with the singles gold medallist earning qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where squash will make its long-awaited Olympic debut.
Anahat will have another tournament before turning her full attention towards the Asian Games. She is scheduled to compete at the Qatar Classic from September 12 as she continues her preparations for the continental showpiece.
Sivasangari, meanwhile, credited her tactical approach and ability to maintain intensity for her comfortable win over the Indian youngster.
Anahat will have another tournament before turning her full attention towards the Asian Games. She is scheduled to compete at the Qatar Classic from September 12 as she continues her preparations for the continental showpiece.
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“I put extra intensity in my hitting towards the back corners. Anahat is very dangerous when she has time, so I tried to take that away from her. Obviously, there are a lot of nerves coming into these matches with the best of three format, so I had to get my confidence and happy with how I dealt with things today.