Indian top seed Anahat Singh faced a defeat in the women’s Under-19 final at the British Junior Open squash held at the University of Birmingham. She lost to French second seed Lauren Baltayan in four closely contested games with scores of 9-11, 11-7, 3-11, 9-11. Anahat, ranked 29th globally, was competing in her ninth BJO final across various age groups.
Anahat advanced to her first women’s under-19 final at the prestigious squash tournament after winning her semifinal match against Egypt’s Malika El Karaksy (3/4) with scores of 11-8, 11-7, 11-9 in just 28 minutes. She had previously defeated Malika in last year’s BJO U-17 final and the World Junior Championships quarterfinals, showcasing her skills on the court.
Before reaching the semi-final, Anahat secured a victory over Egypt’s Barb Sameh (5/8) with scores of 11-4, 10-12, 11-9, 11-3 to advance to the final four. Her journey included wins over Malak El Maraghy (Egypt, 9/16) and Hong Kong’s Wing Kai Gladys Ho in the earlier rounds, displaying her consistent performance in the tournament.
Anahat, hailing from Delhi, had a remarkable 2025 season, achieving her highest world ranking of 28 in just her second season on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour. Notably, she defeated two top-20 players and recently clinched a narrow victory against former world No. 10 Joshna Chinappa in the final of the HCL Squash Indian Tour 4. Her consistent performances have earned her recognition in the squash circuit.
