Why is everyone talking about her in Birmingham?

Meet Anahat Singh.

She is part of India’s squash continent at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 at Birmingham.

And yes, she has become a big sensation.

After all, she is just 14 years old!

A fan of India’s star shuttler PV Sindhu, Anahat is the youngest in the 200-plus Indian contingent in Birmingham.

The fourteen-year-old Anahat Singh beat Jada Ross 11-5, 11-2, 11-0 to reach the round of 32 in the women’s singles squash event at the CWG 2022 on Friday.

However, she lost her second round match 3-1 against Wales’ Emily Whitlock and failed to advance to the Round of 16.

But she gave a tough contest to the World No. 19.

The final score of the game was: 11-7 11-7 4-11 11-6.

Despite this, Anahat showed glimpses of her amazing talent and looks like a bright prospect for the future.

Anahat Singh’s background

Anahat Singh was born on March 13, 2008, in Delhi.

Her father Gursharan Singh is a lawyer while her mother Tani Vadehra Singh an interior designer.

Anahat Singh’s elder sister Amira is also an accomplished squash player.

In fact, she was one of the country’s top-rated under-19 players before moving to Harvard University to pursue her bachelor’s degree.

However, Anahat’s first love was not squash. It was badminton.

Anahat watched PV Sindhu play at the India Open in Delhi when she was six and was fascinated enough to pursue the sport.

But, at the age of eight, Anahat swapped badminton for squash.

Anahat says “I was drawn to squash because I loved the noise of the ball hitting the wall.”

“Badminton is a really popular sport I could have taken that up easily but squash is something I enjoy a lot more.”

“I need to do the thing I have the most fun with instead of something more popular,” says Anahat who loves to paint and play piano in her free time.

Coached by her sister Amira and former national-level squash players Amjad Khan and Ashraf Hussein, Anahat Singh soon established herself as a future squash champion.

A future world champion?

Anahat Singh shot to fame in 2019 after winning the under-11 girls’ category gold medal at the prestigious British Open squash tournament, a first-ever for India.

Within a short time, she became the India No. 1 in the under-11 category.

Next, she stepped up to the under-13 category, where she rose to No. 1 not just in India but also in Asia and Europe.

Her rise has been phenomenal.

The top-ranked player in the U-15 category in India and Asia, Anahat also won the US Junior Squash Open in December last year – the first Indian woman to win a US Open in any age division.

The best thing about Anahat is that while she is supremely ambitious, she is also pretty grounded.

She says, ” My parents and school teachers support me immensely and there isn’t much pressure when it comes to academics.”

“I aspire to become a World Champion in PSA and hopefully get a medal in the Olympics when squash gets an entry,”

We’ll be watching her progress with keen interest!