Anahat’s LA 2028 push needs two top-tier wins: Saurav Ghosal

A win over Satomi Watanabe could lead to a summit clash against World No.5 Sivasangari Subramaniam, the reigning Asian Games champion. A gold medal will bring qualification to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 with it.

Updated : Sep 25, 2026 20:18 IST , CHENNAI - 4 MINS READ

India’s Anahat Singh faces her first big test as she takes on home favourite and World No. 6 Satomi Watanabe in the semifinals on Saturday. | Photo Credit: PTI

The women’s singles competition at the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has gone along expected lines. And with that, India’s Anahat Singh faces her first big test as she takes on home favourite and World No. 6 Satomi Watanabe in the semifinals on Saturday.

The two players battled for the first time earlier this year at the Tournament of Champions in New York where Satomi came from 0-2 down to defeat the Indian teenager 3-2. But Anahat has only gotten better in the past few months, indicated by her new career-high ranking of 17.

A win over Watanabe could lead to a summit clash against World No. 5 Sivasangari Subramaniam, the reigning Asian Games champion. The Malaysian has a 2-0 head-to-head advantage over Anahat, including a crushing straight-games win in a best-of-three format at the recent London Squash Classic.

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Heading into the continental showpiece, it was a well-known fact that Anahat would probably have to beat these two Top 10 players not just to become the first-ever Indian gold medallist in singles but also to clinch the qualification spot for the Los Angeles Olympics 2028 when the sport will make its Summer Games debut. The Indian hasn’t had to spend much time - just 38 minutes to be precise - on the court to put herself into this position. But now, she may have to play the two best matches of her blooming career.

Shortly after Anahat created history by becoming the first-ever Indian to clinch the Junior World Championship in July, her mentor and former World No. 10 Saurav Ghosal put into perspective Anahat’s chances for this very scenario.

“Sivasangri and Satomi are both in the top eight in the world and they have been there for a good period of time and they deserve to be there. They’ve put on some serious performances over the last 18 to 24 months. So, they are strong,” Ghosal told Sportstar.

“For Anahat, if you had to compare the World Juniors, it was a slightly different mentality, as we knew that she, in terms of ability, was the best in the field, and it was a question of unlocking what she’s capable of and producing it on the day. At the Asian Games, with it being less than two months away, you can’t expect that her level is going to be higher than a Sivasangari or a Satomi because theirs is higher. That’s the truth.”

“The rankings don’t lie. For her to win the Asian Games gold and clinch that Olympic qualification spot, she will have to play slightly beyond……slightly out of her skin. I’m not saying that she needs to play out of the realm of possibility, but she needs to produce close to 100 per cent on at least two days of that event to win it. It’s a big ask, but she has the mentality and the fearlessness to go for it and hopefully, it’ll happen.”

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Anahat made her Asian Games debut in Hangzhou in 2023 at the age of 15 but only featured in mixed doubles and team events. This time, as India’s top-ranked player and one of the title contenders, the pressure will be on her when she enters the glass court at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena on Saturday.

What if things don’t go her way? According to Ghosal, the experience itself will help her grow as a player, but if the teenager manages to clinch the yellow metal, it will be the cherry on top.

“Even if it doesn’t happen, it’s going to hold her in good stead for the future. This (winning Asian Games gold) is obviously one route to qualifying for the Olympics. The rankings are another, and we are quietly confident that she will make it through the rankings anyway but it would be nice to seal the first Olympic qualification spot in the history of squash,” he said.