The impressive Anahat Singh London Squash Classic ends after quarters

India’s Anahat Singh’s impressive run at the London Squash Classic ended in the quarter-finals on Friday after the 18-year-old lost 4-11, 4-11 to Malaysia’s world number one Sivasangari Subramaniam at the PSA Gold tournament.

The Indian teenager, ranked 20th in the world and reigning junior world champion, struggled to find her rhythm against third seed Sivasangari, who controlled the match from the opening rally and completed a comfortable straight-sets victory in just 17 minutes.

Sivasangari consistently applied pressure with more intensity to the back corners, forcing Anahata to spend long periods deep in the court. The Malaysian approach left little time for the Indian to dictate moves or make the most of her attacking game.

The defeat ended a promising campaign for Anahat, who reached the quarter-finals after producing one of the tournament’s notable results, overcoming eighth seed Nele Gilis of Belgium in a three-match thriller.

Anahat entered the London Squash Classic looking to continue her rise on the PSA Tour, but found herself up against a player ranked 15 places above her, who is among the leading contenders ahead of the Asian Games.

Sivasangari, the former champion and third seed, was in control throughout the quarter-finals, taking the first game 11-4 before repeating the score in the second to book her place in the last four.

The Malaysian said she was pleased with how she handled the pressure of the best-of-three format and praised Anahat for the challenge she provided to the top players.

“I am happy with the way I played today; Anahat is a very talented player. She beat some of the best players and challenged most of them,” Sivasangari told SquashTV.

Explaining her tactics, the 27-year-old said she was determined not to give Anahat the time she needed to build pressure.

“I put extra intensity into the back corners. Anahat is very dangerous when she has time, so I tried to take it away from her. Obviously, there’s a lot of nerves that come into these best-of-three matches, so I had to get my confidence back and be happy with how I handled things today.”

Sivasangari will now face second seed Amina Orfia of Egypt in the semi-finals. Orfi is the reigning world champion and sets up another tough test for the Malaysian as she looks to continue her campaign.

For Anahat, the focus will now shift to the final stages of her preparations for the Asian Games in Japan, which begin on September 19.

The Indian teenager is expected to compete at the Qatar Classic from September 12 before turning her full attention to the continental showpiece.

The Asian Games will have added significance for both Anahat and Sivasangari. Sivasangari is currently the top Asian player, while Anahat will be looking to close the gap behind the Malaysian and establish herself on the continental stage.

Japan will also play for the top prize, with the singles gold medalist qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where squash will make its long-awaited Olympic debut.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

05 Sep 2026 11:20 IST