Mumbai: Anahat Singh openly admits she didn’t play her best squash at the British Junior Open, a top-tier junior tournament she clinched for the third time this week as the under-17 champion. In the past, her dad would travel with her as her coach and sparring partner, providing the mental support she needed. This time in Birmingham, though, she had one of India’s top squash players, Saurav Ghosal, by her side.

"Just having him around boosted my confidence. I knew if anything went sideways, he’d be there to back me up," Anahat, 16, shared from London on Thursday.

Ghosal, a former top 10 pro, has taken on the role of "mentor" for Anahat, who is one of the country’s brightest young squash stars. This exciting collaboration kicked off after Ghosal retired from the professional PSA tour last April, especially with the 2028 LA Olympics on the horizon. With her coaches located in Prague and Mumbai, it became tough for the Delhi-based teen to travel, so she and Ghosal started discussing how he could help.

"He (Ghosal) mentioned he just wanted to support me in any way possible," Anahat explained. "He guides me on what I need to do, helps me plan my tournaments and training, and whenever he visits Delhi, he practices with me too."

Whenever Ghosal travels with Anahat for competitions, she definitely notices the difference. Like at the British Open. "Having Saurav there made a huge impact. If I felt unsure about something, he’d say, 'I’ll step in and help you out.' And during matches, those two minutes between games, having the right person in your corner and hearing the right advice is crucial," Anahat said.

Anahat, who’s also the British Open's U-11 and U-13 champ, opened up about feeling a bit "scared" heading into this edition after losing a nail-biting final last year. It’s a reminder that she’s only 16. But when she mentions that the loss only fueled her determination to win this year, you can really see the potential she has.

You could see hints of that potential in her 2024 season, where she started competing in more senior PSA events. It took her a little while to adjust, but she ended up snagging nine PSA Challenger titles, including the CCI Western India Open in Mumbai last month. She kicked off 2024 ranked outside the top 125 but has climbed to 82nd now.

"It’s tough at first. You need to win a bunch of tournaments just to crack the top 100, and then you gradually move up. I’m really happy I managed to win some bigger tournaments towards the end of the year."

She noticed a big difference moving up to the PSA tour from the junior circuit, and balancing both was pretty hectic.

"I’d say playing in a junior final is like playing the early rounds of PSA events," she explained. "The first few tournaments were challenging because it was exhausting to play 5-6 tough matches in a week. I wasn’t used to that. Now I feel like I’ve figured it out."

This year, she’ll continue the grind of juggling select junior events and the PSA tour, with a big goal of winning a medal at the World Juniors in 2025. But she’s also keen on playing more PSA tournaments and climbing higher in the rankings, which will let her test her skills against tougher competition.

"Now that I’m around 80, I can get into bigger events and face some top players," she said. "Ultimately, my main goal is to break into the top 10."

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