London, September 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s Anahat Singh advanced to the quarterfinals of the London Squash Classic with a thrilling 13-11, 4-11, 11-8 victory over eighth seed and World No. 11 Nele Gilis of Belgium on Thursday.
The 18-year-old Indian, currently ranked World No. 20 and the reigning world junior champion, secured the 39-minute win in the second round of the $144,000 PSA Gold event. It was the first PSA Tour meeting between the two players.
Anahat’s victory made her the first Indian woman since 2021 to reach the quarterfinals of a PSA Gold-level tournament. Gilis had reached the final of the London Classic last year.
The match at Alexandra Palace featured several high-intensity rallies. Anahat edged a closely contested opening game before Gilis responded strongly to level the contest. The Indian, however, regained control in the decider by keeping Gilis deep in the court, dominating the ‘T’ and finding the front corners effectively to seal the win.
“She’s a great player. I played her a year and a half ago at the World Teams, and that match really helped me get experience for the PSA circuit. It’s always been my dream to play in a venue like this, so it’s very exciting,” Anahat said.
Speaking about the best-of-three format, she added that it required greater concentration and offered less room for error than a best-of-five contest.
Anahat will next face 2024 London Squash Classic champion Sivasangari Subramaniam of Malaysia, who defeated Nardine Garas with consecutive 11-5 game wins.
Sivasangari had famously won the title at the same venue two years ago after defeating World No. 1 Hania El Hammamy, eight-time world champion Nour El Sherbini and Gilis during her run.
The quarterfinal between Anahat and Sivasangari could also offer an early indication of the contest expected at next month’s Asian Games, where squash will feature as the pathway to deciding the sport’s first Olympians.
In the men’s first round, India’s Ramit Tandon, ranked World No. 42, defeated Qatar’s Abdullah Al-Tamimi 11-6, 11-7, while World No. 38 Veer Chotrani went down 9-11, 9-11 to higher-ranked Switzerland’s Yannick Wilhelmi.
Meanwhile, second seed Victor Crouin of France stormed into the quarterfinals after dropping just four points and will next meet seventh seed Leonel Cardenas.
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