India’s Anahat Singh stunned eight-time world champion Nour ElSherbini at the Silicon Valley Open

Anahat Singh of India (ANI Photo) NEW DELHI: India’s 18-year-old Anahat Singh produced one of the standout results of the PSA Squash Tour 2026 when she defeated eight-time world champion Nour ElSherbini 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 in just 30 minutes at the Silicon Valley Open in Redwood City on Wednesday.The straight games win over the top-seeded Egyptian, a world No. 3 and equaling Nicol David’s record for most world titles, put the Indian into the quarter-finals of the US$143,500 PSA Gold tournament and marked the biggest win of her professional career.Born on March 13, 2008 in New Delhi and currently ranked in the top 15-17, Singh has risen rapidly.In 2026, she became India’s first world junior champion, the first non-Egyptian winner since 2010, and won a historic silver in women’s singles at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.Trained by former world number one Grégory Gaultier alongside Saurav Ghosal and Stéphane Galifi, she turned pro in 2023 and has already collected multiple PSA titles, becoming the youngest Asian player to break into the top 20.ElSherbini, a dominant force who has long held the world No. 1 title and won four British Opens, arrived in California as the clear favorite.

Anahat Singh enters the quarterfinals

Singh, who has now qualified for the quarter-finals, had earlier eased to Nour Aboulmakari in the opening round.After the upset, she realized she “grew up watching every single game” of the Egyptian, underscoring the personal weight of the result against a player she has long admired.The win comes as squash prepares for its Olympic debut in Los Angeles 2028.For Singh, it confirms her ability to trouble the game’s established elite on the senior tour and strengthens her case for further promotion in the rankings.The Silicon Valley Open, which runs from October 20-24, continues to introduce a new generation capable of challenging the long-standing hierarchy led by Egyptian players.