Anahat Singh Beats Nour El Sherbini at Silicon Valley Open
Anahat Singh beats Nour El Sherbini 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 in the Silicon Valley Open Round of 16 at Redwood City, California. The 18-year-old Indian defeated the eight-time world champion and world No. 3 on Thursday, in straight games, against a player she calls her idol.
Trailing 5-6 in Game 1, Singh won five of the next six points and closed with a backhand on her second game ball. In Game 2, she led 9-1 before El Sherbini ran off seven straight points. A crosscourt winner and a no-let decision then sealed the game. In Game 3 she stayed solid until 9-7, slammed a low forehand and finished with an angular drop. She shares coach Gregory Gaultier with El Sherbini, and India head coach Harinder Pal Sandhu had said beforehand that she “definitely does have a shot”. Singh called the feeling “unreal”.
El Sherbini had lost four of her last seven tour matches, but Singh did not simply benefit from a weak day. She punished loose balls, kept her shot selection tight and refused to let a lead slip, which had cost her in the Asian Games team semi-final. Less than a month after her Asian Games silver, she has upgraded her biggest win from Satomi Watanabe to the eight-time world champion. When Anahat Singh beats Nour El Sherbini, it signals that the junior world champion can now beat the sport’s best.
The question is whether Singh can carry this momentum through the rest of the Silicon Valley Open and into later tour events. Her Asian Games silver and this win have raised expectations. Having seen Anahat Singh beat Nour El Sherbini, her next opponent will arrive with a scouting report.