Chicago, May 10 (UNI) India’s teenage squash sensation Anahat Singh produced a stunning performance on her World Squash Championships debut, defeating World No.28 Marina Stefanoni of the USA to advance to the second round of the 2024–25 edition being held here on Saturday.

Anahat, 17, currently ranked 62nd in the world and India’s top-ranked female player, rallied from 1-2 down to claim a thrilling 3-2 (10-12, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 11-6) victory in a 51-minute battle against the higher-ranked American on Friday.

"We had really long rallies and she’s a great player," Anahat said after the match. "She’s been playing really well and broken into the top 30. I knew it was going to be a battle. I am exhausted but really happy I got through it."

Anahat, the only Indian woman in the draw, now faces an even tougher challenge in the form of World No.15 Fayrouz Aboelkheir of Egypt in the second round. A win there could see her take on reigning champion and World No.1 Nouran Gohar in the pre-quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Indian men also enjoyed a successful opening day, with three of the four participants progressing to the second round.

Abhay Singh, ranked 38th, upset Switzerland’s World No.25 Nicolas Mueller 3-1 (11-7, 2-11, 11-7, 11-6) in 41 minutes. He will next face 13th seed Youssef Ibrahim of Egypt.

World Championships debutant Veer Chotrani, ranked 57th, delivered a gritty performance to overcome England’s Declan James (World No.28) 3-1 (11-9, 9-11, 12-10, 16-14) in a marathon encounter lasting over an hour. Chotrani’s reward is a clash with four-time world champion and current World No.2 Ali Farag of Egypt.

Ramit Tandon, the highest-ranked Indian man at 34, also booked a second-round berth with a 3-1 (10-12, 11-7, 13-11, 11-7) win over Japan’s Ryunosuke Tsukue. He will face England’s World No.7 Marwan Elshorbagy in the next round.

The World Squash Championships serve as a major platform ahead of the sport’s Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

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