All posts tagged: Squash

Sanya Vats finishes as runner-up at Ballarat Squash Open 2026

Sanya Vats finishes as runner-up at Ballarat Squash Open 2026

Published by Webster

Sanya Vats’ promising run ended in the final of the 2026 Ballarat Open, the PSA Women’s Challenger Tour 3 event, in Victoria, Australia, on Sunday. The 24-year-old second-seeded player lost in straight games 6-11, 8-11, 6-11 to top seed home favourite Sarah Cadwell in 24 minutes to finish as runners-up. This was her second consecutive final of the month, following a runners-up finish at the Victoria Open Challenger 6k event 2026 last week. She started her campaign in the second round as Pakistan’s Wajeeha Altaf gave her a walkover; she then followed it with two back-to-back wins against South Korean opponents. In the quarterfinals, she had a tough four-game 6-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-4 win over Sunghee Oh and then a straight-game 11-5, 11-8, 11-4 win over Ain Jun in the semis. She is currently at her highest-ever world ranking of 136, having jumped seven places after her last week’s runner-up finish at Victoria Open. With this top 2 finish at Ballarat Open, she will further rise in the rankings, which will offer her a chance …

India’s first ever World University Squash C‘ships Gold medalist

India’s first ever World University Squash C‘ships Gold medalist

Published by Webster

Suraj Kumar Chand has emerged as one of Indian squash’s most consistent performers over the past year and is set to represent India at the 2026 Asian Games. The 25-year-old Mumbaikar scripted history on Thursday by becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal at the FISU World University Squash Championship. Competing on home soil in Mumbai, he defeated Hungary’s Benedek Takacs 3-2 (5-11, 11-8, 11-5, 6-11, 11-4) in the men’s singles final to achieve the historic feat. Early years Suraj Kumar Chand started playing squash at the age of 11 under coach Lakshman Joshi at the Jindal Squash Academy. His father has been associated with the JSW Group for nearly three decades, making his introduction to the sport a natural one. During his school days, he competed in several inter-school tournaments and won gold at the National School Games Squash Championship. What started as a hobby gradually turned into a professional career. Representing India at the Asian Championships gave him both pride and responsibility, motivating him to push himself further in the sport. …

Suraj Chand wins India’s first-ever gold medal at World University Squash C’ships

Suraj Chand wins India’s first-ever gold medal at World University Squash C’ships

Published by Webster

Suraj Kumar Chand became India’s first-ever gold medallist at the World University Squash Championships after winning the men’s singles title at Somaiya Vidyavihar University in Mumbai on Thursday. Competing in front of a home crowd, Suraj defeated Hungary’s Benedek Takacs in a thrilling one-hour-and-five-minute final, 5-11, 11-8, 11-5, 6-11, 11-4. The gold medal marked his second consecutive men’s singles medal at the championships, having won bronze at the 2024 edition in Johannesburg, South Africa. 🚨#News l 🇮🇳 Suraj Kumar Chand is the 1st Indian to win GOLD at the World University Squash Championship 🏆 The Mumbai star beat Hungary’s Benedek Takacs in a five-setter to become the first-ever Indian champion at the tournament. A historic day for Indian squash on home… pic.twitter.com/KA9pVm4fSK — The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) August 6, 2026 Suraj made a shaky start by dropping the opening game but quickly recovered to take the next two and seize the lead. The Hungarian opponent then forced a decider by claiming the fourth game 11-6. Keeping his cool under pressure, Suraj dominated the final game 11-4 …

Squash won’t just win India medals; it will set a benchmark

Squash won’t just win India medals; it will set a benchmark

Published by Webster

The Commonwealth Games are underway, and over the last few weeks, as the multi-sport event gathered momentum amid the political unrest in our country, I’ve been asked the same questions repeatedly: How’s the preparation going? When do you fly to Glasgow? Shouldn’t you already be there? There’s nothing wrong with those questions, but they sting a little. While I’m excited to watch some non-cricket sport unfold finally, I can’t help but feel the disappointment of not having my sport in the mix this time around. In Indian sport, there are two major multi-sport cycles: the Asian Games/Commonwealth Games cycle and the Olympic cycle. Each comes around once every four years. How squash got squeezed out The Commonwealth Games Federation hasn’t been particularly vocal about it, but Glasgow 2026 was never meant to host these Games. Victoria, Australia, was originally awarded the event before pulling out in 2023 over spiralling costs. Malaysia was next in line but also declined, leaving Glasgow to step in and salvage the edition. To make the financial package work, organisers trimmed …

Anahat Singh’s World Squash Junior C’ships triumph

Anahat Singh’s World Squash Junior C’ships triumph

Published by Webster

In Anahat Singh’s mind, the World Squash Junior Championships was always a curse; a tournament she could never win. She had been here thrice before, exiting in the quarter-finals in her first two attempts before losing a semi-final and settling for a bronze on her third try. So, as she headed into the 2026 World Squash Junior Championships in Ontario, Canada for the fourth time, she knew she had to make it count. Now, 18, and already an established name in the senior PSA circuit, this was her last chance to have a junior world title in her bag. For, she would be ineligible to compete by the time the next edition of the tournament comes around. Anahat played like it. Last week, she wrote a new chapter in Indian squash history, becoming the first player from the country to win the World Squash Junior Championships. She surpassed Joshna Chinappa’s runner-up finish from over two decades ago in 2005. As she registered a clinical 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 win in the final against Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem, …

How the Chiripal Squash Excellence Programme is shaping the future of Indian squash

How the Chiripal Squash Excellence Programme is shaping the future of Indian squash

Published by Webster

As squash prepares to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, the conversation around the sport in India is shifting from producing individual champions to building a sustainable ecosystem that can consistently nurture talent. While Indian players have made steady progress on the international circuit in recent years, experts believe the next step lies in strengthening grassroots participation, improving access to quality coaching and creating pathways that support athletes throughout their careers. The Chiripal Squash Excellence Programme is working towards that vision through grassroots initiatives, athlete support, coaching camps and competitive opportunities. Over the past year, the programme has organised tournaments, development camps and coaching clinics while investing in young talent to contribute to the long-term growth of Indian squash. Building a stronger foundation The programme’s philosophy extends beyond supporting elite athletes. Instead, it seeks to strengthen every stage of the player pathway, from introducing children to the sport to creating opportunities for high-performance training and international exposure. Explaining the programme’s approach, Promoter of the Chiripal Group, Ronak Chiripal, said expanding participation …

From ‘curse’ to crown: How Delhi teen Anahat Singh scripted Indian squash history | Sports News

From ‘curse’ to crown: How Delhi teen Anahat Singh scripted Indian squash history | Sports News

Published by Webster

5 min readMumbaiJul 27, 2026 06:55 AM IST It was Anahat Singh’s fifth and, importantly, final chance to get it right at the World Juniors Championships in Canada. She had four quarterfinals, one bronze, plenty of deja vu, and even a French coach to match. Gregory Gaultier had been in her tactical corner as coach, the squash legend most famous for losing four Senior World Championship finals before winning the fifth, to teach her precisely how to handle this last week. The 18-year-old from Delhi, whose father is a lawyer and mother an interior designer, had called the World Juniors a “curse” because she kept missing the title. When she broke the curse, she became India’s first-ever world title holder among women. On Saturday in Ontario, finally, the teen prodigy made up for all misses and ended Egypt’s run of 13 straight titles, after beating three from the squash powerhouse in the quarters, semis and finals. The attacking player with Indian flair and Gregorian gumption defeated Ruqaiyya Salem 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 to ensure a non-Egyptian …

‘Carrying your braincells?’ Mentor’s snide remark before Anahat’s Jr Worlds title

‘Carrying your braincells?’ Mentor’s snide remark before Anahat’s Jr Worlds title

Published by Webster

5 min readUpdated: Jul 26, 2026 11:11 PM IST It’s just the way GenZ is wired. When newly-crowned squash Junior World champion Anahat Singh was lacing up her shoes to face Ruqaiyya Salem in the finals at Ontario, mentor and coach Saurav Ghosal dropped a snide one: “Are you carrying your braincells today?” It was a remark meant to awaken the 18-year-old from possibly being slightly casual and ending up underwhelming in the title match. She retorted: “Braincells are awesome today.” Saurav left it at, “That’s debatable…” The Delhi teen went on to nail her fifth attempt at a junior world title to settle the debate. “She’s got a few doses (read as scoldings) this week. But we do it because we know she can take doses. She doesn’t go into a shell,” Saurav says. Anahat’s scorelines across 6 matches don’t even begin to tell the whole story. She dropped only two sets in the quarters and semis that might point to dominance, even as she beat three Egyptians in a row. Behind the scenes …

Anahat Singh becomes 1st Indian Squash World Jr Champion on her 5th attempt

Anahat Singh becomes 1st Indian Squash World Jr Champion on her 5th attempt

Published by Webster

3 min readJul 26, 2026 12:09 AM IST Indian squash prodigy Anahat Singh created history on Saturday, as she became the first Indian to win a squash world title at any level after winning the World Junior Championships in Ontario, Canada. The 19-year-old Indian defeated second seed Ruqayya Salem of Egypt in straight games 11-3, 11-7, 11-9. Prior to this achievement, she had already become the second Indian woman after Joshna Chinappa to enter the final of the world junior title. Now, she has conquered a frontier that even Chinappa could not. The teenage prodigy from Delhi had a dominant start to the final, winning the first game 11-3, leaving her opponent Salem with little to no chance. In the second game, Anahat won 11-7 and had one hand on the title. However, the Egyptian gave a scare in the third game, with Anahat trailing 6-8 at one point. But the Indian fended off the pressure and took the important points to win the game 11-9 and claim the junior title at the fifth time …

Anahat Singh crowned India’s first-ever World Junior Champion

Anahat Singh crowned India’s first-ever World Junior Champion

Published by Webster

Anahat Singh was crowned the Squash World Junior Champion on Saturday, becoming the first ever Indian to achieve the feat. Anahat, 18, blanked Egypt’s Ruqqaya Salem 3-0 as she cruised to the title in no time. In the process she surpassed India’s best-ever performance at the event, which was a runner-up finish by now veteran Joshna Chinappa recorded more than two decades back in 2005. “I still feel like I’m dreaming,” said Anahat minutes after her win. “This tournament has been the worst tournament for me,” she said catching her breath. “I’ve been losing in the semi-finals and quarter-finals for the last four years. “I’ve always said that this tournament’s a curse, I’ve never been able to play well. “I knew this was my last year and this was the only chance I had to win this tournament. It means the world [to me],” she added. #News | ANAHAT SINGH IS THE WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPION🇮🇳🏆 She becomes the first Indian ever to win the Junior World Championships in Squash✨ Anahat blanked Egypt’s Ruqayya Salem 3-0 …