October 23, 2026
India’s Anahat Singh reached her first PSA Gold-level semi-final after defeating Egypt’s Salma Hany in a five-game quarter-final at the Silicon Valley Open in Redwood City, California.
The 18-year-old, ranked world No. 15, recovered from a 2-1 deficit to beat the sixth seed 4-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-2, 11-5 in 42 minutes. The result followed her straight-games victory over eight-time world champion Nour El Sherbini in the previous round.
Anahat Singh fights back against Salma Hany
Hany controlled the opening game, winning 11-4, before Anahat responded by taking the second 11-8. The Egyptian regained the advantage with another 11-4 game, leaving the Indian needing to win both remaining games.
Anahat conceded just two points in the fourth to force a decider. She then completed the comeback with an 11-5 finish, extending her run into the tournament’s last four.
Speaking after the match, Anahat said she had never faced Hany before, although she had watched the experienced Egyptian compete on the professional tour. She also acknowledged the emotional fatigue following her victory over El Sherbini, but remained determined to carry that momentum into the quarter-final.
Victory over Nour El Sherbini set up the breakthrough
Anahat had beaten El Sherbini 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 in 30 minutes to reach the quarter-finals. Defeating the Egyptian champion without dropping a game gave the teenager one of the biggest results of her senior career.
Her subsequent win over Hany added a different achievement. After winning comfortably in the previous round, Anahat had to recover twice against another experienced opponent to keep her campaign alive.
Sivasangari Subramaniam awaits in the semi-final
Anahat will next face Malaysia’s world No. 4 Sivasangari Subramaniam for a place in the final.
Sivasangari has won all three of their previous meetings. The Malaysian is also the reigning Asian Games champion, making the semi-final another demanding test for Anahat. The Indian enters the match as the lower-ranked player, but with consecutive victories over established Egyptian opponents.
Another step in Anahat Singh’s squash career
The California result builds on Anahat’s earlier quarter-final appearance at the London Squash Classic. That run had made her the first Indian woman since Joshna Chinappa in 2021 to reach the last eight of a Gold-level tournament.
Anahat also won the girls’ singles title at the 2026 World Junior Squash Championships, becoming the first Indian to claim that title. Her Silicon Valley Open campaign now adds a first Gold-level semi-final to her growing senior record.
Why Anahat Singh squash is trending
Her results have brought increased search interest in India. Financial Express reported that a Google Trends snapshot captured at 10:30 a.m. IST on October 23 showed “anahat singh squash” at 1,000-plus searches, with growth of 400%.
Those figures reflect that specific snapshot. On court, Anahat’s next target is clear, a victory over Sivasangari would take her into her first PSA Gold-level final.
