Anahat Singh enters NSW Bega Open final

Bega (Australia), Aug 16 (IANS) Teenage Indian squash player Anahat Singh reached the final of the NSW Bega Open 2025 after a hard-fought win over Egypt’s Nour Khafagy in the semifinal on Saturday.

She will now look to add a 13th PSA title to her name when she faces Habiba Hani in the final.

The 17-year-old from Delhi, who is already a double Asian Games bronze medallist, won the gruelling contest 3-2 (10-12, 11-5, 11-5, 10-12, 11-7) in 54 minutes. Despite sustaining an injury during the match, Anahat showed resilience to outlast Khafagy, who came into the event after winning the HCL Tournament. With this win, Anahat became the first Indian woman to reach a PSA Copper-level final.

In the title match, the top seed will face second-seeded Egyptian Habiba Hani. who booked her place in the summit clash with a 3-1 (11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 11-6) victory over India’s Akanksha Salunkhe in 42 minutes.

Earlier in the quarterfinals, Anahat defeated South Africa’s Hayley Ward 3-0 (11-4, 11-9, 14-12) to continue her impressive run. She now has 12 PSA titles from 18 events, with nine of those victories coming in the past year, underlining her rapid rise in world squash.

Akanksha, seeded fifth, also impressed in the quarterfinal stage, beating fourth-seeded Australian Alexandra Haydon 3-0 (11-4, 11-7, 11-3) in a match that lasted only 24 minutes. Her run ended in the semifinals, but she will take confidence from reaching the last four in a strong international field.

For Anahat, this is another significant achievement in a career that has been progressing quickly since she became the youngest member of India’s 2022 Commonwealth Games squad at the age of 14. Her consistency and ability to handle pressure at a young age have already made her one of the most promising players in Indian squash.

The NSW Bega Open, a USD 25,000 tournament, is the first World Event of the 2025/26 PSA Tour season.

--IANS

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