Anahat Singh named to India’s squash squad for Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya
Anahat Singh has been named to India’s squash squad for the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, the report published on 2026-09-16 stated; she will contest both the women’s singles and the women’s team events.
The 18-year-old has drawn attention since her breakthrough on the international circuit, adding titles and medals to a rapidly growing résumé and emerging amid a domestic scene long led by players such as Joshna Chinappa and Tanvi Khanna. The article described her as widely regarded as the next big star of Indian squash and noted recent upward movement in rankings.
Her game is characterised in the report as one of finesse rather than brute force, built around touch, deception and intelligent point construction rather than the power-oriented style associated with Egyptian players. The piece said she often glides into position to dictate tempo, reads the ball early to take it in front and varies pace to unsettle opponents.
Tactical elements highlighted include patience in point building, reluctance to go short prematurely, and frequent use of high lifts and cross-court lobs to reset rallies. The report added that once she slows the tempo she looks to open up the court with tight side-wall drives, a pattern likened to her mentor, Saurav Ghosal.
The write-up listed several of her finer skills—soft straight drop, hold-and-flick deception and the ability to find the nick under pressure—along with an ability to switch between attack and defence and a measured, calculated approach to shot selection. It also noted that her coach, Stephane Galifi, has highlighted her exceptional anticipation, which enables her to read the play early and retrieve shots with remarkable ease.
The article described her work ethic, saying she studies hours of footage of her own matches and those of other players to identify improvements. It also set out areas for development: she admitted to losing focus after dropping two or more straight points, has struggled against hard-hitters, and at a height of 5'3" the report recommended keeping the ball higher earlier and building strength to reduce error margin against physically stronger opponents.
The report stated Anahat is fully fit and called a strong medal contender for the Asian Games and recorded backing from India’s squash coach, Surbhi Mishra, who told The Times of India: “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.” The piece also noted she is presently ranked 20th in the PSA Singles Rankings and that a related report said she climbed three spots to be ranked World No. 17 in the latest squash rankings.
At Aichi-Nagoya, Anahat will compete in the women’s singles and the women’s team competition alongside Joshna Chinappa, Tanvi Khanna and Shameena Riaz.
