India defeat top-seed Hong Kong to lift maiden Squash World Cup title

Anahat Singh clinched the World Cup on her debut appearance in the tournament.

India defeated top-seeded Hong Kong to lift the Squash World Cup 2025 and win their maiden title in the event. The game took place at the Express Avenue Mall in Chennai, India, on Sunday, December 14.

Joshna Chinappa, Abhay Singh, and Anahat Singh churned out impressive wins to achieve a historic feat for India. In particular, Abhay and Anahat won three straight sets against Alex Lau and Tomato Ho, respectively.

At just 17 years old, Anahat was the youngest player in the tournament and was appearing in her first World Cup. India’s top-ranked women’s player had earlier paired up with Abhay during the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where they clinched a bronze medal.

Joshna Chinappa, a legendary name in the Indian squash circuit, won 3-1 against Ka Yi Lee to give a winning start to the team. She was also part of the Indian team in the last edition, which lost to Malaysia and settled for a bronze medal.

Nevertheless, the squad calmed their nerves to ace crunch moments at the same venue in this edition.

At the post-match interview, Chinappa expressed her happiness at helping the country to win their maiden title.

“It feels great playing here in Chennai. Honestly, I am so thankful that I could be part of the Indian team. It’s always been my biggest motivation to keep playing and training to play for India.”

On being asked whether the World Cup win will inspire younger generations, Chinappa said:

“Absolutely, Squash is such a great sport physically and in all departments. We don’t get to showcase it as much and having it here publicly, where people can see what a unique and amazing sport it is, and how much it takes to beat the best players in the world.”

Fourth member, Velavan Senthilkumar’s game was not needed, as the Indian team had already won their first three matches.

How did India fare in Squash World Cup 2025?

The league stage of the showpiece event saw 12 teams divided into four groups of three teams each. The top two teams from each group stood a chance to qualify for the quarterfinals.

The hosts secured 4-0 victories over Switzerland and Brazil in the pool stage to progress to the top eight stage. The quarterfinals witnessed them defeating South Africa 3-0 and then followed it up with a 3-0 victory over defending champions, Egypt.

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