Will Anahat Singh participate at Asian Games 2026?

Anahat Singh made her mark at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, returning home with two bronze medals.

Young Indian squash sensation Anahat Singh has made headlines ever since she burst onto the scene. At just 18, Anahat has stunned everyone with consistently outstanding performances on the international circuit.

For years, the Indian squash scene was dominated by well-known names like Joshna Chinappa and Tanvi Khanna.

However, with Anahat steadily adding titles and medals to her growing collection, she has emerged as one of the country’s brightest young talents, widely regarded as the next big star of Indian squash.

Anahat Singh dominates nearly everywhere

If we are to consider how good she is, or why she is so good, here are some points to be noted:

• She began playing at the age of eight and was just 14 when she was selected for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the youngest-ever athlete in any sport for India at the event.
• She dominated the junior division, winning competitions like the British Junior Open, US Junior Open, and Asian Juniors, as well as 40-plus national titles.
• She made her senior debut during the 2025-26 season, winning events like the JSW Indian Open, beating top stars like former World No. 5 Tinne Gilis and former Georgina Kennedy, and breaking into the top 20.
• In July 2026, she won the World Junior Squash Championship women’s title by beating Egypt’s 2nd seed Ruqayya Salem, becoming the first non-Egyptian in 16 years to win.

Related: Anahat Singh climbs three spots to be ranked World No. 17 in latest squash rankings

Built on touch, deception and point construction

Anahat’s game is built around finesse rather than brute force. Unlike the Egyptian players, who have traditionally relied heavily on power and explosive strokes, the Indian youngster has developed a style centred on touch, deception and intelligent point construction.

Rather than constantly scrambling to match the pace of a rally, Anahat often appears to glide into position and dictate the tempo on her terms. Her ability to read the ball early allows her to take it in front and vary the pace of her shots, keeping opponents guessing and disrupting their rhythm.

One defining aspect of her game is her willingness to stay patient and avoid going short too often. That approach lets her build points more efficiently while also disguising her drop shots until the last possible moment.

She also makes effective use of high lifts and cross-court lobs, often sending the ball deep off the front wall to reset rallies and take the sting out of the exchanges.

Once she has slowed the tempo, Anahat looks to open up the court with tight drives along the side wall—a pattern that bears a striking resemblance to her mentor, Saurav Ghosal.

Short game and variations make up her strength

Anahat’s greatest strengths lie in the subtle aspects of her game. Her soft straight drop, hold-and-flick deception and ability to find the nick under pressure allow her to keep rallies compact while constantly keeping her opponents guessing.

She is also proficient at changing gears, switching seamlessly between attack and defence depending on the situation. Rather than committing herself to every shot, Anahat takes a calculated approach, carefully weighing the risk and reward of each stroke.

Her coach, Stephane Galifi, has also highlighted her exceptional anticipation, which enables her to read the play early and retrieve shots with remarkable ease.

Equally impressive is her appetite for learning. Anahat has developed a reputation as an extremely receptive student of the game, regularly studying hours of footage — both her own matches and those of other players — to identify areas for improvement and refine her craft.

Related: Asian Games 2026 – Indian contingent gets grand send-off

Needs to work on focus and pace handling

Anahat has admitted that she tends to lose focus upon dropping two or more straight points. She also has often struggled against hard-hitters and needs to up her ante in that department.

While her height of 5’3″ is a bit of a disadvantage, especially against Egyptians who retain muscular physicality, keeping the ball higher earlier will allow her to curtail the error margin. She also needs to build strength to compete at the highest level, especially against the Egyptians.

What’s her status for the Asian Games 2026?

Anahat Singh is part of India’s squash squad for the Asian Games 2026. Ahead of the Games, she is fully fit and considered a strong medal contender; she also has the backing of India’s squash coach, Surbhi Mishra.

“She’s playing well. Right now she’s playing a tournament in Qatar, then she’ll be back, and then we hope she’ll be ready. She had a good stint in London as well. We are hopeful that she can get a medal. A medal will come for sure; the colour is the one to be decided,” she told The Times of India.

At Aichi-Nagoya, Anahat will compete in two events — the women’s singles and the women’s team competition — where she will be joined by Joshna Chinappa, Tanvi Khanna and Shameena Riaz.

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