JSW Willingdon 2024 squash: Anahat Singh, Abhay Singh win titles

India’s Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh won the women’s and men’s singles titles, respectively, at the Willingdon Little Masters and Senior Tournament 2024 squash tournament, which concluded in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Top seed Anahat Singh, India’s 15-year-old squash prodigy, blanked Japanese second seed Erisa Sano Herring, seeded second, 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-7) in the women’s singles final to claim the title.

Anahat Singh, who was part of the Indian women’s team which won bronze at the 2023 Asian Games and partnered Abhay Singh to clinch a mixed doubles bronze in Hangzhou, got a bye in the first round.

The teenager then ousted Sri Lanka’s Dewmini Gallage and countrywoman Rathika Suthanthira Seelan by similar 3-0 margins in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively.

Abhay Singh, whose late heroics won India a historic men’s team gold medal at the Asian Games last year, was equally dominant en route to his gold.

Following an opening-round bye, the 25-year-old Indian squash player accounted for compatriots Guhan Senthilkumar and Vedant Patel with 3-0 scorelines in the second round and quarters, respectively.

Up against sixth seed Om Semwal in the semis, Abhay Singh came out on top with a dominating scoreline yet again and set up a title clash against second-seeded Suraj Kumar Chand, who accounted for New Zealand’s Remi Young, the fourth-seed, in his final four fixture.

Abhay Singh broke little sweat in the final against Suraj and cruised to a 3-0 (11-9, 11-5 ,11-2) win.

The JSW Willingdon 2024 squash event is a 3K tournament on the PSA Challenger Tour.