Anahat Singh Reaches Canadian Women’s Open Quarterfinals, Sets Up Clash With Top Seed Fayrouz Abolkheir

India’s Anahat Singh continued her impressive run on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour, defeating England’s Saran Nghiem 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the Canadian Women’s Open, a PSA Silver-level event. 

The Indian, currently ranked World No. 15, recovered strongly after dropping the second game to secure an 11-6, 4-11, 11-5, 11-7 victory in 39 minutes.

The result puts Anahat into the last eight, where she faces a considerably tougher challenge against Egypt’s Fayrouz Abolkheir, the tournament’s top seed and World No. 7. The quarterfinal will test the Indian’s ability to maintain her attacking rhythm against a higher-ranked opponent as she looks to progress further in the tournament.

Anahat received a bye in the opening round before beginning her campaign in the round of 16. Her victory over Nghiem ensured that the Indian moved into the quarterfinals without needing to play an additional opening-round match.

Anahat began the round-of-16 encounter positively, taking the opening game 11-6. She controlled the early exchanges well enough to establish an advantage and put pressure on Nghiem, but the English player responded in the second game.

Nghiem levelled the match by winning the second game 11-4, briefly shifting the momentum in her favour. With the contest tied at one game apiece, Anahat needed to regain control and avoid allowing her opponent to build on that response. The Indian delivered precisely that in the third game. She raised her level to win 11-5, moving ahead again and placing the pressure back on Nghiem.

Anahat then maintained her advantage in the fourth game, winning 11-7 to close out the contest in four games. Her ability to respond immediately after losing the second game was central to the victory.

The 39-minute match highlighted Anahat’s composure in a knockout contest. Rather than allowing the second-game defeat to dictate the remainder of the encounter, she recovered to win the next two games and secure her place in the quarterfinals.

For the Indian, the challenge now shifts from recovering within a match to sustaining that level against one of the tournament’s strongest players.

World No. 7 Fayrouz Abolkheir awaits

Anahat’s next opponent, Fayrouz Abolkheir, presents a step up in opposition. The Egyptian enters the quarterfinal as the top seed and World No. 7, giving her a higher ranking than the Indian. Anahat will need another disciplined performance to challenge Abolkheir. The Indian has already shown that she can recover when an opponent gains momentum, but the quarterfinal will demand consistency across the match.

The key opportunity for Anahat will be to build on the positive elements of her performance against Nghiem, particularly her response in the third game. Starting strongly and avoiding extended periods in which Abolkheir can dictate the exchanges will be important if the Indian is to create an upset.

At World No. 15, Anahat is already competing among the leading players on the women’s professional circuit. A quarterfinal victory over the top seed would represent another significant result in her progress at the PSA Silver event.

However, the immediate focus remains on converting her round-of-16 performance into a competitive showing against a higher-ranked opponent.

Anahat’s progress in Canada comes after her appearance at the Silicon Valley Open in the United States the previous week. There, she reached the semifinals before losing to Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam. The semifinal ended in a 3-1 defeat for Anahat, with Subramaniam winning 5-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 in 37 minutes. Anahat took the opening game but was unable to maintain her advantage as the Malaysian recovered to win the next three.

That match offered a different test from her Canadian Open round-of-16 encounter. Against Subramaniam, Anahat lost after beginning well; against Nghiem, she recovered after losing the second game.

The contrasting outcomes underline the importance of sustaining performance throughout a match, particularly against opponents capable of changing momentum. Anahat’s response in Canada provides an encouraging sign as she moves into another demanding knockout round.

The Silicon Valley Open finals on October 24 saw Malaysia’s Subramaniam defeat Egypt’s Farida Mohamed 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 in the women’s final. In the men’s final, Egypt’s Mohamad Zakaria defeated France’s Victor Crouin 11-6, 11-8, 11-3.

Veer Chotrani exits Canada Cup

Elsewhere in the men’s competition at the PSA Canada Cup, Indian player Veer Chotrani bowed out in the round of 16 after losing 0-3 to Egypt’s Mohamed Elshorbagy, the World No. 9. Chotrani lost 7-11, 7-11, 6-11 against the experienced Egyptian, who secured the victory in straight games.

The Indian had reached the last 16 with a strong performance against Japan’s Ryunosuke Tsukue. Playing on his birthday, Chotrani defeated the World No. 54 by 3-0, winning 11-6, 11-9, 13-11. That victory gave the World No. 35 a positive start to his campaign, but the challenge posed by Elshorbagy proved decisive in the next round.

Anahat Singh’s victory over Nghiem ensures that India remains represented in the women’s quarterfinals at the Canadian Women’s Open. After reaching the semifinals in Silicon Valley, the Indian has continued to make progress through another competitive tournament.

The next match against Abolkheir will be a significant examination of her dlevel against top-tier opposition. Anahat has already demonstrated her ability to respond under pressure, but advancing further will require her to sustain that performance against the tournament’s leading seed.

For now, reaching the last eight represents another important step. With a quarterfinal place secured and a top-seven opponent awaiting, Anahat has the opportunity to turn a solid tournament run into an even bigger statement on the PSA Tour.