Anahat Singh rules again at Indian Open; Abhay Singh bags men’s crown

MUMBAI: India’s teenage superstar Anahat Singh proved once again why she is one of the country’s brightest Olympic medal prospects. The 18-year-old defended her title at the JSW Indian Open (a PSA Copper-level squash tournament) at the CCI’s glass courts here on Sunday, defeating Egypt’s Hana Moataz 3-1 (11-5, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6) in the final. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The men’s final, an all-Indian affair, saw Abhay Singh blank Veer Chotrani 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-4). Abhay, runner-up last time, showed why he is the country’s top-ranked player with fluent strokemaking, giving Chotrani little chance. But the day belonged to Anahat. She came out firing, winning two sharp attacking points to set the tone. From there, she barely put a foot wrong, taking the opening game with a maturity that belied her age. What stood out was not just power, but control.Anahat relied on placement, moving Hana corner to corner, stretching rallies before finishing them off. At 6-3, then 8-5, and eventually 10-5, she dictated proceedings. The second game followed a similar pattern; even a brief lapse didn’t derail her as she surged to a 7-2 lead and closed it 11-6.At two games up, the World No. 19 looked in complete control. Then came the wobble. To her credit, the teenager responded like a seasoned pro in the fourth game. Down 0-3 early, she reset, drawing level at 4-4 before unleashing a decisive smash at the end of a long rally, followed by a rare celebration. From there, she shut the door.