Anahat Singh Stuns Eight-Time World Champion Nour El Sherbini In Massive Silicon Valley Open Upset

India’s Anahat Singh produced a sensational performance at the Silicon Valley Open 2026, sweeping aside Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini to advance to the women’s singles quarter-finals in Redwood City, USA, on Thursday.

The world No. 15 defeated the tournament’s top seed and third-ranked El Sherbini 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 in a 30-minute second-round encounter at the USD 143,500 PSA Gold event.

The win was the 18-year-old’s first against a top-five player on the senior circuit and arguably the biggest of her career so far.

Anahat will face Egypt’s Salma Hany, ranked 14th in the world and seeded sixth, for a place in the semi-finals on Friday.

The Indian teenager revealed that she had received a confidence boost from the national coach before taking on the formidable Egyptian. However, even she had not anticipated such a convincing result in her first match against El Sherbini.

“Going into the match, the national coach of India was telling me that I definitely do have a shot if I was playing really, really well,” Anahat said after the match.

“Just getting to share a court with her - it was my first time - I didn't expect it to go like this.“I thought I'll take a little while to settle in and understand how to play her. But the game plan ended up working pretty well and I just stuck through it. I still can't believe that it ended up on my side of the court.”

For Anahat, beating El Sherbini carried added significance because of the Egyptian’s influence on her development as a squash player. The Indian has followed the former world champion's career since childhood and looks up to her achievements.

“I've grown up watching every single match of hers. I admire her and want to achieve the things she has done in her career. She is an inspiration to all squash players.”

El Sherbini's reputation made the upset all the more remarkable. The 30-year-old has won eight women's singles titles at the World Squash Championships, matching Malaysian legend Nicol David's record.

She has also reached more finals at the competition than any other woman. After winning the world crown in 2025, she finished second to compatriot Amina Orfi in the final earlier this year.

In another notable connection between the two players, both train under Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, a former world No. 1.

Anahat arrived in California after a strong showing at the 2026 Asian Games, where she secured silver in the women's singles event. She defeated Japan's Satomi Watanabe, then ranked world No. 6, in the semi-finals before finishing as runner-up.

The teenager had already made a confident start to her Silicon Valley Open campaign, beating Egypt's Nour Aboulmakarim in straight games in the opening round. She is the only Indian competing at the tournament and will now aim to carry her momentum into Friday's quarter-final against Hany.