London, September 05 (H.S.): Indian squash prodigy Anahat Singh suffered a straight-games defeat against Malaysia’s world No. 5 Sivasangari Subramaniam in the quarter-finals of the PSA Gold-level London Squash Classic on Friday.

Third-seeded Sivasangari defeated Anahat 11-4, 11-4 in just 17 minutes to book her place in the semi-finals.

The 27-year-old Malaysian controlled the contest from the outset, denying her Indian opponent an opportunity to settle into her rhythm and securing a comfortable victory. Sivasangari will face second-seeded Egyptian and reigning world champion Amina Orfi in the semi-finals.

World No. 20 Anahat, 18, had reached the quarter-finals after defeating eighth-seeded Belgian Nele Gilis in a thrilling three-game encounter.

Speaking to SquashTV after her victory, Sivasangari said she was pleased with her performance and praised Anahat’s ability and competitiveness.

“I am happy with my performance today. Anahat is a very talented player. She has beaten some top players and has pushed most players very hard,” she said.

Sivasangari added that she deliberately increased the pace and aggression of her shots towards the back corners of the court.

“I tried to add a little more pace and aggression to my shots towards the back corners. When Anahat gets time, she becomes very dangerous, so I tried to take that time away from her. Obviously, there is a lot of pressure and nervousness before these best-of-three matches. I had to find my confidence, and I am happy that I handled the situation well today,” she said.

Anahat’s defeat comes just weeks before the Asian Games. Sivasangari, the highest-ranked Asian player, is expected to be one of Anahat’s biggest rivals at the upcoming continental event.

The Asian Games gold medallist in squash will qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where squash will make its debut as an Olympic sport.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar