Redwood City: India's squash sensation Anahat Singh continued her giant-killing run at the Silicon Valley Open 2026, producing a remarkable comeback to defeat Egypt's Salma Hany in a five-game thriller and book her maiden semi-final berth at a PSA Gold-level event.
The 18-year-old World No. 15 recovered from a 1-2 deficit to register a 4-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-2, 11-5 victory over the sixth-seeded Egyptian in 42 minutes in Redwood City, California. Having conceded the opening and third games, the Indian dominated the closing stages, dropping just seven points across the last two games to seal a landmark win.
Anahat showed tremendous resilience after twice falling behind in the contest, raising her level in the final two games to complete an impressive turnaround. It was a display of maturity well beyond her years — a player who knew she was the underdog against an experienced tour professional, yet refused to let the momentum slip away.
"I've never played her before, and I didn't know what to expect coming on to the court. I have watched her play so many times, and she is so experienced on the PSA Tour," Anahat said of Hany after fighting back to win from 2-1 down. "Especially after winning yesterday (against ElSherbini), I know that if I'm playing well I had a chance against whoever I played. I wanted to come in with that mindset," added the reigning world junior champion.
"I was a bit tired coming into the match because of the emotions after winning yesterday. I just didn't want to let go of the momentum today, I wanted to give it my all and I'm happy to get one step further in the tournament," added the Delhi player, who won singles silver at the recent Asian Games.
The victory marks another significant milestone in Anahat's burgeoning career and comes on the back of her stunning second-round upset of eight-time world champion and World No. 3 Nour ElSherbini, whom she dismantled in straight games — 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 in just 30 minutes — a day earlier. That win was already being described as one of the biggest of her senior career; Friday's comeback against Hany showed it was no fluke.
With the win, Anahat became the first Indian woman since 2019 to reach the semi-finals of a PSA Gold event, underlining her status as the brightest young talent in Indian squash.
The Delhi teenager's rise has been one of the most watched stories in Indian sport this year. Trained from a young age on the courts of the capital, Anahat first made national headlines as a prodigy who collected junior titles with relentless consistency.
Earlier this year, at the World Junior Squash Championships, she won the girls' singles title to become the first Indian to claim the crown, ending Egypt's 15-year reign in the event. The achievement was celebrated across Indian sport, with former players and administrators calling it a watershed moment for squash in a country where the game has always fought for attention and resources.
She had already made history as the first Indian woman to reach an Asian Games squash singles final, winning silver at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. She had previously won two bronze medals at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou — in the women's team and mixed doubles events.
For Indian squash, which has long waited for a breakout star on the women's side to follow the path blazed by players such as Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Joshna Chinappa, Anahat's run is a moment of genuine excitement. Pallikal and Chinappa took Indian women's squash to unprecedented heights in the 2010s, winning Commonwealth Games medals and reaching the top echelons of the world rankings. Anahat, at just 18, is already threatening to go further than anyone before her.
The sport's inclusion in the Los Angeles Olympics has added fresh momentum, and Anahat is increasingly being seen as India's leading medal hope for the Games. Squash will make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles, and qualification pathways are already shaping the ambitions of the world's top players. Subramaniam's Asian Games gold helped her qualify; Anahat's consistent rise on the PSA tour is putting her in the same conversation.
Anahat now faces Malaysia's World No. 4 Sivasangari Subramaniam for a place in the final. The two met in the women's singles final at the 2026 Asian Games, where Sivasangari won gold and Anahat settled for silver. The Indian will have another chance to test herself against the Malaysian, with a place in the Silicon Valley Open final at stake.
Subramaniam's victory in the Asian Games final also helped her qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics, where squash is set to make its debut as an Olympic sport.
The semi-final against Sivasangari Subramaniam promises to be a fascinating contest — a rematch of the Asian Games final, with the Malaysian the favourite on rankings and experience, but with Anahat carrying the form and confidence of a giant-killer who has already beaten the world No. 3 this week.
What made Friday's win so impressive was the manner of the comeback. After dropping the first and third games heavily, Anahat recalibrated her length and tightened her line hitting in the fourth and fifth, barely allowing Hany a foothold. Squash at the PSA Gold level punishes even minor lapses in concentration, and the Egyptian — a seasoned campaigner on the tour — would have sensed victory at 2-1 up.
Instead, Anahat produced her best squash of the week when it mattered most, a trait that coaches say separates contenders from champions.
The PSA Gold tier sits just below the Platinum events on the professional squash calendar, and semi-final appearances at this level are career-defining milestones for players in their teens. For context, most players break into the top 20 in their early twenties; Anahat, still 18, is doing it while defeating reigning world champions and multiple-time tour winners.
Her victory over ElSherbini — an eight-time world champion — in 30 minutes was the kind of result that announces a generational talent.
Back home in Delhi, the junior squash community has been electrified by her run. Coaches who worked with her as a child describe a player who was always technically advanced for her age but who has added physicality and tactical maturity at a startling rate over the past year. Her win at the World Juniors earlier this year ended a decade and a half of Egyptian dominance in the event, and Friday's performance in Redwood City suggested the senior tour is next.
(Reporting based on The Hindu and The Times of India.)