Anahat enters her first world juniors semis, guarantees medal
The 17-year-old, seeded second, beat Egypt's Malika Elkaraksy 11-6, 13-11, 11-5 in the last eight to break her quarter-final jinx at the prestigious junior event.
Anahat had been halted at the quarter-final stage of the previous three junior worlds, losing close matches in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and each of them to Egyptian opponents.
This will fill the one medal missing in the promising Indian's rich cabinet at the junior level, with Anahat bagging medals at every other key global age-group event including the British Open and US Open.
Despite increasingly dabbling on the senior professional tour -- she is currently the top-ranked Indian woman on the PSA charts at world No.54 -- Anahat had singled out medalling at the junior worlds as one of her season's biggest goals.
And facing her toughest test yet in the tournament, she wasn't going to let this quarter-final slip. Running into a left-handed Egyptian and a partisan crowd inside a packed Black Ball Club rooting for their own, Anahat maintained her level and composure. From 5-6 in the first game, Anahat won six straight points to seize the advantage. Malika bounced back in the second game and held two game balls but Anahat dug in and came out a 13-11 winner. With Malika's fight quelled, Anahat soon wrapped up the close contest.
Anahat will take on Nadien Elhammamy on Friday for a place in the final. The Egyptian had beaten her in the quarters of the 2024 edition, but the Indian had reversed the result at the JSW Indian Open in Mumbai this year.
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