Former India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan congratulated teenage squash star Anahat Singh after she created history by becoming the first Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championship. The 17-year-old achieved the milestone on Saturday in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, defeating Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem in straight games to seal what was described as the biggest title of her career.
The win carried wider significance beyond the trophy, as it ended Egypt’s 15-year dominance in the women’s event and marked a major breakthrough moment for Indian squash on the global junior stage.
Dhawan’s message and a landmark final win
Dhawan reacted to the achievement on X, highlighting both the scale of the moment and its impact for Indian sport. “History created! Congratulations to Anahat Singh on becoming the first Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championship. A phenomenal achievement that will inspire generations. Keep shining!” he wrote.
Anahat entered the tournament as the top seed and delivered in the final against second seed Ruqayya Salem with an 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 victory. The straight-games win underlined her control across the match as she closed out the championship without dropping a game in the title clash.
The result also placed Anahat in rare company historically. With her triumph, she became the first non-Egyptian player to lift the women’s World Junior title since American Amanda Sobhy achieved the feat in 2010.
For the women’s championship, the broader context was clear: Egypt had dominated the title from 2011 onwards, and Anahat’s victory ended that run. The final also continued the pattern of her navigating an Egypt-heavy path through the latter stages of the event, culminating in a decisive win over another Egyptian opponent in the championship match.
Road to the final: a long wait ends for India
Anahat had already signalled her title ambitions by reaching the final on Friday, becoming the first player from India in 21 years to make it to the championship match. She booked her place in the final with a four-game semifinal victory over Egypt’s Barb Sameh, setting up a final against Ruqayya Salem.
That semifinal result, followed by the straight-games win in the final, completed a standout run at the tournament for the Indian teenager. The title was framed as a significant breakthrough not only for Anahat personally, but also for Indian squash, given the long gap since an Indian player last reached the final and the extended period of Egyptian champions in the women’s event.
Men’s event: Egypt vs Egypt continues
While Anahat’s win broke Egypt’s grip on the women’s title, the men’s event remained an all-Egyptian contest. Top seed Mohamad Zakaria advanced to his fourth consecutive World Junior final after defeating compatriot Selfeldin Refaay in straight games.
Zakaria will face second seed Adam Hawal in the final. Hawal progressed after Marwan Assal retired injured during their semifinal, with Hawal already leading by two games at the time of the retirement.
In a tournament where Egypt continued to feature prominently across both draws, Anahat Singh’s championship win stood out as a defining headline—an Indian first at the World Junior Squash Championship and a result that ended a long stretch of Egyptian dominance in the women’s event.
