Silicon Valley Open: Anahat Singh Rallies Past Egypt's Salma Hany

Redwood City, October 23: Anahat Singh overcame a two-game deficit to beat Egypt's Salma Hany 4-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-2, 11-5 and reach the semifinals of the Silicon Valley Open Squash tournament. The 18-year-old from India is ranked 15th in the world, while her opponent, the sixth seed, is ranked 14th.

The match lasted 42 minutes and swung repeatedly. Hany won the first and third games to lead 2-1, but Anahat responded strongly, claiming the fourth game 11-2 and the fifth 11-5.

The win was Anahat's first appearance in a PSA Gold-level semifinal. It came a day after she had stunned world No. 3 and eight-time world champion Noor ElSherbiny in straight games, a result that underlined her growing stature in the sport.

Speaking after the match, Anahat said she had never faced Hany before and did not know exactly what to expect. She noted that she had seen Hany play many times and described her as very experienced on the PSA Tour.

Anahat said her victory over ElSherbiny had taught her that she has a chance against any player when she is playing well, and she had gone into this match with that mindset. She also admitted that the emotions of Thursday's win had left her a little tired, but she was determined not to lose momentum and to give full effort.

Her next test will come against world No. 4 and reigning Asian Games champion Sivasangari Subramaniam of Malaysia. Anahat lost to Sivasangari in the 2026 Asian Games final.

The semifinal run caps a standout year for Anahat, who won the World Junior Squash Championship early in 2026 before becoming the first Indian woman to reach the Asian Games singles final.