Abhay Singh in 2026: On the verge of a Top 20 breakthrough

Last year, Abhay was the captain of the quartet that won India the World Cup title. He finished the year ranked 29. The Guru Nanak Educational Society, which supported Abhay early in his career, felicitated its alums with a reward of INR 11,51,000. The Guru Nanak College is all set to host squash courts named after Abhay Singh. A multiple-medal winner across the South Asian Games, Asian Championships, and Asian Games, Abhay has set his goal to make it into the Top 20 this season.

 

In March, Abhay, along with Anahat Singh, received the Asian Squash Federation's player of the year award for 2025. He proved his mettle in Zurich earlier this year after defeating World No.13 Aly Abou Eleinen at the Grasshopper Cup. It marked the first instance when he made it to the quarterfinals of a Gold-level event. In the following match, he impressed yet again with his all-court play, but fell short against World No.4 Karim Gawad.

 

Zurich marked a strong return to form for Abhay after consecutive round two exits at El Gouna and Hamburg. Earlier, Abhay had won the Indian Open title, a Copper-tier event. Before entering the Indian Open, Abhay had clearly stated his intention to minimize his participation in challenger events. He currently holds 11 Challenger-level titles. At his current rank, Abhay can comfortably target and enter the copper, silver, gold, and platinum-tier events.

 

Abhay has already set himself as a strong contender for the 2026 Asian Games later this year. It becomes even more important for him to maintain his current form, as a title at the Asian Games guarantees direct qualification to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He has become the second-highest-ranked Indian squash player in men's singles. James Willstrop and Harinder Pal Sandhu have been instrumental in coaching this prodigy. In 2025, Abhay lost 22 kgs to reach the fitness level that squash demands. Such courage indeed has been a show of grit and determination since then.

 

The month of May might have seemed like a setback for Abhay in reaching the coveted Top 20. At the PSA World Championships in Giza, he was stunned by compatriot Veer Chotrani in a marathon five-game match. Though Abhay lost, the silver lining from an Indian squash perspective was seeing Chotrani break into the Top 40.

 

In his next tournament in late May, Abhay entered the British Open, famously dubbed the Wimbledon of squash. After securing a straight games win over fellow Top 40 player Matias Knudsen, Abhay drew World No.8 Mohamad Zakaria in the second round. The Egyptian emerged the victor after four tightly contested games, thus taking a 2-0 lead in the rivalry.

 

Since the year began, Abhay has jumped five spots in the ranking, from No. 29 to No. 24. For the remainder of the season, Abhay is not scheduled for any of the Challenger or World events. The new season begins in late July, where India's No.1 squash player is likely to resume his quest to enter the global Top 20.

 

 

Later this year, in the first half of the new season, Abhay will be tasked with defending over 1100 points across the Egyptian Open, Qatar Classic, and U.S. Open. He will begin the new season as a player who has competed in 100 tournaments on the PSA Squash Tour, with a 156-86 win-loss record, and 12 titles as of June 2026.