When young athletes step on to play an opponent they once looked up to, they often speak about enjoying the moment, relishing the opportunity and soaking in the experience.
“I grew up watching every single match of hers. I admire her so much. The Indian teen is not just routinely rubbing shoulders with the world’s best now, she is also starting to get past them. At last month’s London Squash Classic, she beat the then 11th-ranked Nele Gilis. Even as most of India’s Asian Games medallists basked in the celebration at home, Anahat was back to business in Egypt nine days after her last match in Japan.
Anahat won the Squash on Fire Open title defeating current world No.8 Georgina Kennedy in the final. At Aichi-Nagoya, she produced a memorable fightback against world No.6 Satomi Watanabe to confirm a historic medal.
“It feels unreal,” Anahat told PSA. “This result, just after the Asian Games, is a very big achievement,” said Sandhu. “The most pleasing thing for me was that she did not allow her to stage a comeback.”
“My conversations with her were about keeping Nour’s stature aside, and reminding her that you are the world junior champion and world No.15. At the Egyptian Squash Open, Anahat led world No.7 Fayrouz Aboelkheir by two games to one before Fayrouz turned it around. The Indian was wary of a similar fightback from a champion who has been there and done that for years and shares the same coach as her: former French world No.1 Gregory Gaultier.
Putting that admiration aside, even if briefly, was a key pre-match topic between her and Harinder Pal Sandhu, India’s national coach accompanying Anahat at the tournament. “Sometimes when you play greats of the game, too much respect gets in the way. Flaunting the variety in her game that troubled Watanabe in Japan, Anahat frequently targeted the front corners against Nour.
This match for Anahat was more about the mind than tactics,” Sandhu told HT from the US. “The tactics were about not allowing Nour to dictate the pace, and playing to Anahat’s style rather than engaging in conventional long rallies,” said Sandhu.
