Birmingham: India’s youngest athlete at the commonwealth gamesThe 14-year-old squash player Anahat Singh made a winning start here on Friday in the women’s singles. Anahat was more than a match for St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Jada Ross, completing an 11-5 11-2 11-0 win in round of 64.
“It’s really exciting and so much fun,” said Anahat after her winning start. It’s my first senior tournament so I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I gained confidence as the match progressed. I had nothing to lose. A lot of my family is here and they all cheered really loudly,” she added.
Coach Chris Walker, Anahat’s sense of court, said, “She has great problem-solving skills. She is very smart, has a good sense of the court and great racket work.”
“When you’re 14, you just want to help that talent grow. The short time I worked with her was just great fun.
“It’s so exciting for the future. She’s a sweet girl,” he added.
“She has a great attitude to all this attention. She just enjoys the ride. She won the third game 11–0, there was no chance she would give up. She’s very present when she plays and so mature for such a young age,” he concluded.
Anahat was selected to the Indian team after her impressive streak at the under-15 level, including victories at this year’s Asian Junior Squash and German Open.
Another debutant, Abhay Singh, was set to play his singles opener against British Virgin Islands’ Joe Chapman later on Friday.
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