Anahat Singh beats El Sherbini to reach Silicon Valley quarters

Anahat Singh defeated eight-time world champion Nour El Sherbini in straight games at the Silicon Valley Open, advancing to the tournament’s quarter-finals with a 3-0 win. Singh took the games 11-8, 11-8 and 11-7 against the Egyptian, who is ranked No. 3 in the world. The result came in the tournament’s Round of 16 in Redwood City, California. One account places the match on Wednesday, October 21, while another describes it as taking place Thursday. The reports do not resolve the difference, so the match date is not established here. Singh, 18, said her game plan worked and that she stayed committed to it. She also said she had grown up watching El Sherbini and admired her career. The players share a coach, former world No. 1 Gregory Gaultier, according to tournament coverage. Singh described the chance to play El Sherbini as meaningful and said she had not expected the match to unfold as it did. Singh entered the match after winning her opening-round contest against Egypt’s Nour Aboulmakarim in straight games, 11-8, 11-8, 12-10, according to one report. Her victory over El Sherbini secured a place in the quarter-finals of the PSA Gold-level event. A report on the tournament...