There are defeats that fade quietly into the schedule, and then there are defeats that leave a mark because of what almost happened. Anahat Singh’s Round of 16 loss to world No. 7 Satomi Watanabe at the 2026 Tournament of Champions belonged firmly to the second category.
The 17-year-old Indian came within a whisker of one of the biggest upsets of the season at the PSA Squash Tour Platinum event, racing into a two-game lead before the experienced Japanese star clawed her way back to win 11-6, 11-6, 11-2, 11-8, 11-6 in a dramatic 74-minute contest. For Anahat, the scoreboard told a painful story. For the rest of the squash world, it told a more important one: India has a teenage player who is already capable of troubling the elite.
Anahat had arrived at this stage on the back of a composed, high-quality win over Lucy Turmel of Canada in the opening round. Ranked 31st in the world, she held her nerve in a tight four-game battle, winning 11-3, 11-6, 9-11, 13-11 to book her place in the pre-quarterfinals. That match had already offered a glimpse of her maturity. She was forced to save game balls in the fourth, yet showed no panic, playing with the same clarity that has defined her rapid rise over the last two seasons.
Against Watanabe, however, the stakes were higher and the stage brighter. The Japanese player is one of the most consistent performers on the women’s tour, with a game built around relentless retrieval, deep length and the ability to absorb pressure for long stretches. Yet for the first 25 minutes of the match, it was Anahat who controlled the narrative.
She took the opening two games 11-6, 11-6 with a mix of fearless shot-making and smart movement. Anahat refused to be drawn into endless rallies. Instead, she looked to take the ball early, cutting off Watanabe’s length and opening up the front corners. Her trademark volleying game was on full display, and her drop shots repeatedly forced the higher-ranked player into uncomfortable sprints.
What stood out most was the composure. There was no sense of a teenager playing her idol. Anahat moved with purpose, took her chances, and never allowed Watanabe to settle into the attritional rhythm that usually breaks down younger opponents.
The turning point came early in the third game. Watanabe began to tighten her lines, sending the ball deeper and wider, forcing Anahat to do more work in the back corners. At the same time, the Indian’s error count started to creep up. Where the first two games had been about precision, the third became about survival, and it was the Japanese player who thrived in that environment. She took the game 11-2, resetting the contest.
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From there, the match became a test of physical and mental endurance. Watanabe’s experience began to tell. She slowed the pace between points, extended rallies, and gradually pulled Anahat into longer exchanges. The fourth game was the most competitive of the final three, with the Indian fighting hard to regain her momentum. But Watanabe edged it 11-8, winning the key rallies when it mattered.
By the time the fifth game arrived, the tide had fully turned. Anahat was still competing, still chasing every ball, but the physical toll of the previous hour was evident. Watanabe, sensing the moment, played with ruthless efficiency, closing out the decider 11-6 to complete a remarkable comeback.
For Anahat, the immediate emotion was disappointment. To be two games up against a top-10 player and walk away with nothing is a cruel lesson in elite sport. But when the dust settles, this will be remembered as one of the most significant performances of her young career.
At just 17, she has now pushed a world No. 7 to five games at a Platinum-level event. That is not potential. That is proof of belonging.
India’s other women’s entry, meanwhile, was Abhay Singh, who endured his own five-game battle on the men’s side. The world No. 29 went down 11-4, 4-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-3 to Spain’s Iker Pajares in a 64-minute opening-round contest. It was a match of momentum swings, but Pajares found the extra gear in the deciding game to move on.
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For Indian squash, however, the bigger story of the week was Anahat’s run. The sport in the country has been searching for its next women’s star, and in New York she showed that she is not waiting for that label to be given to her.
She is earning it, one rally at a time.
