India’s No 1 women’s squash player Anahat Singh clinches Indian Open Title

MUMBAI: India’s number 1 women’s squash player Anahat Singh showed exactly why she is at the top of the pile, as she despatched the challenge from Helen Tang to clinch the Indian Open title in grand style, at the lawns of the Bombay Gymkhana, on Friday evening.

Supported by JSW, this was the 17-year-old Anahat’s sixth title on the bounce, as per a press release.

In the women’s singles final, India’s teenage sensation Anahat Singh was in fine form against Helen Tang. The India No 1 had Helen fighting hard in the other corner during the first set, but Anahat did enough to clinch a 1-0 lead.

After that, the third seed Anahat began to dominate the Hong Kong International and rattled off the next couple of sets in 13 minutes. Anahat, who did not let her opponent settle down at all during the course of the summit clash, eventually won the final in 24 minutes, with a scoreline of 3-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-8). The win gives Anahat 300 ranking points, and it is her 11th career title.

In the men’s singles final, Abhay Singh had his task cut out against the Egyptian Kareem El Torkey. The two players kicked off the evening with some top-notch squash in the first set. Kareem clinched a tight first set, after which he rattled off the next with relative ease. After the breather, a determined Abhay bounced back to clinch the third set.

The fourth set saw Kareem surge ahead to start with before Abhay dug deep and almost won the set. However, Kareem showed nerves of steel and edged out the Indian to clinch the title. Kareem’s win also gave him 500 ranking points.

The Indian Open is India’s first ever Professional Squash Association (PSA) Squash Copper tournament, and the Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Finals were played on an outdoor glass court, which gave the fans a unique viewing experience.

Final Scores

[3] Anahat Singh (IND) bt. Helen Tang (HKG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-5, 11-8 (24m)
Kareem El Torkey (EGY) bt. [6] Abhay Singh (IND) 3-1: 12-10, 11-4, 7-11, 12-10 (84m). (ANI)