Did Anahat Singh Face Defeat in China While Rathika Seelan Advances in Bondi Open Semis?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Anahat Singh lost to world No. 15 Sana Ibrahim in the round of 16 at the China Open.
- Rathika Seelan advanced to the semifinals of the Bondi Open.
- Anahat secured a victory against Menna Hamed in the Round of 32.
- Anahat won two bronze medals at the Asian Games 2023.
- Anahat was the youngest member of the Indian contingent at the Commonwealth Games 2022.
Shanghai, Nov 12 (NationPress) Upcoming teenage star Anahat Singh faced a setback against the Egyptian eighth seed and world No. 15 Sana Ibrahim, losing with scores of 11-5, 6-11, 4-11, 7-11 in the round of 16 at the China Open squash, a PSA Gold event, on Wednesday.
In contrast, at the Bondi Open PSA Challenger event in Sydney, top seed Rathika Suthanthira Seelan advanced to the semifinals after defeating fellow countrywoman Aaradhana Kasturiraj 11-8, 11-3, 11-5 in the first round and Anantana Prasertratanakul from Thailand 11-7, 11-3, 11-3 in the quarterfinals.
Anahat Singh, the women's national champion, had a promising start at the PSA event on Tuesday, while her compatriots Velavan Senthilkumar and Abhay Singh saw early exits in the men's opening round.
The Delhi teenager, ranked 38 in the world, secured victory against Egypt's Menna Hamed with scores of 11-6, 11-8, 11-3 in the Round of 32 of the PSA Gold event. Meanwhile, Abhay fell to Baptiste Masotti, the French world No. 17, with scores of 11-8, 11-7, 11-4, and Senthilkumar was defeated by higher-ranked Egyptian Mohamed Abouelghar 8-11, 12-14, 6-11.
Earlier, Anahat demonstrated her prowess at the Canadian Open, reaching the semifinals after a remarkable win against World Ranking 7 Tinne Gilis.
Ranked 43 globally, the Delhi teen triumphed over French world No. 20 and sixth seed Melissa Alves with a score of 12-10, 12-10, 8-11, 11-2 in 41 minutes in the Round of 16 on Sunday.
Anahat also brought home two bronze medals from the Asian Games 2023, competing in both the women’s team and mixed doubles events held in Hangzhou. She briefly held the record as the youngest Indian to become an Asian Games medallist at just 15 years and six months before it was surpassed by Sanjana Bathula.
Notably, Anahat was the youngest member of the Indian contingent at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham and celebrated her debut by defeating Jada Ross of St Vincent and the Grenadines in the round of 64.