Anahat Singh Reaches First PSA Gold Semi-final After Five-Game Comeback at Silicon Valley Open 2026

India’s Anahat Singh continued her breakthrough run at the Silicon Valley Open 2026, defeating Egypt’s Salma Hany in a five-game quarter-final to reach the semi-finals of a PSA Gold-level tournament for the first time in her career. 

The 18-year-old Indian recovered from a 2-1 deficit to beat the sixth seed 4-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-2, 11-5 in Redwood City, California.

The victory followed an even bigger result earlier in the tournament, when Anahat defeated world No. 3 and eight-time world champion Nour El Sherbini in straight games. Together, the two wins mark a significant step forward for the Indian teenager as she continues to establish herself among the leading players on the senior professional squash circuit.

Ranked world No. 15, Anahat has demonstrated that she can compete with considerably more experienced opponents. Her latest result also showed her ability to recover from setbacks within a match and change the momentum when facing elimination.

The quarter-final against Hany began with the Egyptian taking control. The sixth seed exploited loose balls from Anahat to win the opening game 11-4, putting the Indian under immediate pressure.

Anahat responded in the second game, improving her performance to level the match at one game apiece with an 11-8 win. The contest remained unpredictable, however, as Hany regained the advantage by taking the third game 11-4.

With the Egyptian leading 2-1, Anahat needed to win the next two games to secure her place in the semi-finals. The situation demanded a significant response from the Indian, who had already faced a difficult opening game.

She delivered precisely that in the fourth. Anahat dominated the game 11-2, preventing Hany from building on her previous advantage and forcing the contest into a deciding fifth game.

The momentum had shifted decisively. Anahat carried her improved performance into the decider, winning 11-5 to complete the comeback and seal a 3-2 victory.

The final two games were particularly important. After conceding the first and third games by identical 11-4 margins, Anahat won the fourth 11-2 and the fifth 11-5. That response underlined her ability to reset after losing momentum and produce a stronger finish under pressure.

Historic Progress at PSA Gold Level

The victory takes Anahat into her first semi-final at a PSA Gold-level event, a major milestone in her professional development.

Gold-level tournaments attract a strong international field, making a run to the last four a significant achievement for a player still building experience at the highest level. Anahat’s progress has been especially notable because it has involved victories over two Egyptian opponents with very different challenges.

She began her Silicon Valley Open campaign with a straight-games win over Nour Aboulmakarim. The Indian then produced one of the tournament’s standout results by defeating El Sherbini, before navigating the five-game battle against Hany.

The sequence demonstrates different aspects of Anahat’s game. Against El Sherbini, she won 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 in approximately 30 minutes, controlling the match against one of the sport’s most decorated players. Against Hany, she had to respond to repeated setbacks and find a way to win after falling behind.

The quarter-final victory therefore represents more than another result in the draw. It shows that Anahat can handle both the challenge of facing an elite opponent and the pressure of a closely contested match.

Anahat’s victory over El Sherbini earlier in the tournament attracted considerable attention. The Egyptian, aged 30, is an eight-time world champion and is tied with Malaysian great Nicol David for the most women’s singles titles at the World Squash Championships, according to the supplied information.

El Sherbini had won the world title in 2025, further underlining the scale of Anahat’s achievement. The Indian controlled their second-round encounter to secure an 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 victory. After that match, Anahat explained that she had not expected such a decisive result, despite receiving encouragement from India’s national coach.

She said the game plan had worked well and that she had focused on sticking to it. Anahat also spoke about her admiration for El Sherbini, revealing that she had grown up watching the Egyptian and regarded her as an inspiration.

The two players share former world No. 1 Gregory Gaultier as their coach, adding another interesting dimension to the encounter.

Anahat’s win over El Sherbini was described as her first victory against a top-five opponent on the senior squash circuit. It followed her run to the women’s singles silver medal at the 2026 Asian Games, where she had also defeated Japan’s then-world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe in the semi-finals.

Anahat will now face Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam in the semi-finals. The match represents another opportunity for the Indian to extend her run and reach the final of a PSA Gold event.

After beating the tournament’s third-ranked player and recovering from a 2-1 deficit against Hany, Anahat will enter the next round with valuable experience from two demanding encounters. However, the semi-final will require another disciplined performance against a strong opponent.

At 18, Anahat is still developing her game, but her campaign in California has already produced a career milestone. Her victories have combined tactical execution against El Sherbini with resilience against Hany, demonstrating her ability to adapt to different match situations.

Reaching the last four is a significant achievement in its own right. Anahat now has the opportunity to turn an outstanding tournament run into a place in the Silicon Valley Open final and take another step forward in her senior professional career.