Watch: 14-year-old Anahat Singh gets hug from opponent, huge applause from fans after 1st round squash win at CWG 2022
It was a heartwarming moment at the University Show Court after 14-year-old Anahat Singh defeated Jada Ross of St Vincent and the Grenadines to proceed to round-of-32 in squash women's singles event.
India's youngest athlete in the Commonwealth Games contingent, 14-year-old Anahat Singh made a winning start to the squash women's singles competition on Day 1. She defeated Jada Ross of St Vincent and the Grenadines, completing an 11-5 11-2 11-0 win in the round of 64. Anahat was selected in the Indian team following her impressive run at the under-15 level including wins at the Asian Junior Squash and German Open this year.
Following her opening round victory at the CWG 2022, her opponent Ross showed a heartwarming gesture towards the young Indian. Despite a gruelling defeat, she kept on a cheerful face and hugged Anahat; this was followed by a thunderous applause from the fans at the University Show Court in Birmingham.
Watch the moment here:
Reacting to her fairly straightforward victory in the opening round, the 14-year-old Indian squash player revealed she didn't know “what to expect” since it was her first-ever senior tournament.
"It's really exciting and so much fun," Anahat said, as quoted by PTI.
"It's my first senior tournament, so I didn't really know what to expect, but I got more confident as the match went on. I had nothing to lose.
“A lot of my family are here and they were all cheering really loudly.”
Her coach Chris Walker also lauded Anahat's decision-making skills, insisting that she has a "good course sense.
"She has great problem-solving skills. She is very smart, has good court sense and great racket work.
"At 14, you just want to help that talent grow. The short period of time I've been working with her has just been tremendous fun.
"It's so exciting for the future. She is a lovely girl," Walker said.
Anahat will now face Wales' Emily Whitlock in the round-of-32; Whitlock had received a bye in the first round and had a career-highest ranking of 12 (November 2017).
