New Delhi: For five years, the World Junior Squash Championship was the only mountain that Anahat Singh climbed. The woes of the quarter-finals and semi-finals have become familiar scripts. But on her last appearance as a junior at the Niagara-on-the-Lake (Canada) event on Saturday, the fearless girl from Delhi finally rewrote the final, becoming the first Indian to be crowned world junior champion.More than a historic title, it was a statement of the country’s brightest squash talent as India can now start dreaming of a medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, where the sport will make its Olympic debut.The 18-year-old seed in the junior worlds and the world No. 20 in the former PSA Tour, ended Egypt’s 13-time stranglehold on the girls’ title with a commanding victory 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 over second seed Ruqayya Salem in the final. Anahat also became the first non-Egyptian champion since Amanda Sobhy in 2010, while she also surpassed runner-up Joshna Chinappa in 2005 to record India’s best result in the event.His path to the title was anything but easy. After going through the first rounds, Anahat had to overcome three Egyptians in succession – Habiba Rizk in the quarters, Barb Sameh in the semis and Salem in the title match. Beating three Egyptians back-to-back underlined how much the Delhi youngster has grown.The final showed his maturity. She raced through the first two games before Salem threatened a comeback by taking an 8-6 lead into the third. Flawless, Anahat trusted his attacking instincts, battled point for point and wrapped up the match in straight games.“I still feel like I’m dreaming,” Anahat said after the win. “This tournament had almost become a race for me. I’ve lost in the semis and quarters in the last four years. This was my last year as a junior and my only chance to win. It means the world.”This sense of relief was evident. If he had missed this year, there would have been no second chance. He now moves full-time on the senior circuit as a top-20 world player who carries the confidence of a junior world champion. “I knew that if I was stressed, I wouldn’t play well. I just concentrated on hitting my lines and enjoying every moment of playing a world championship final.”Coached by former world champion Gregory Gaultier, Anahat has evolved into one of the most exciting players on the circuit.Reflecting on his progress, Anahat said consistency has been the biggest change. “Before, I could raise my level for a big match, but found it difficult to maintain that intensity throughout a tournament. Now I’ve learned to back up one hard match with another. Training harder, understanding the pace of the game and becoming more consistent have made all the difference,” he said.