Anahat finishes runner-up at 2024 British Junior Open squash

Birmingham, Jan 8 (IANS) India’s Anahat Singh finished runner-up in the girls’ under-17 category at the British Junior Open squash 2024 held at the University of Birmingham.

A rising Indian star went down to Egyptian second seed Nadien Elhammamy 11-7, 11-13, 10-12, 11-5, 9-11 in a tense 68-minute cliffhanger.

Anahat won the opening game 11-7, before Elhammamy fought back to claim the next two on tiebreak 13-11 & 12-10.

The Delhi girl won the fourth game 11-5 to force a decider, and not much separated the pair in the fifth, which the Egyptian clinched 11-9.

Meanwhile, Aryaveer Dewan, the reigning US Junior Open boys’ under-15 champion, took third place in the boys’ under-15 category in Birmingham. He lost to Egyptian top seed Philopater Saleh 3-1 in the semifinals, but bounced back to win the play-off for third place.

Promising Aadya Budhia was edged out 3-2 by top seeded American Vivienne Sze in the under-13 girls’ quarterfinals.

Late last month, Anahat won the Under-19 crown at the Scottish Junior Open to cap a spectacular 2023 that saw her record the under-19 and senior National championship double and win mixed doubles bronze along with Abhay Singh both at the Asian Games and the inaugural Asian