In Nour El Sherbini, Anahat Singh on Thursday faced a woman regarded by many as squash’s greatest of all time. Yet, going into the match, India head coach Harinder Pal Sandhu believed the teenager “definitely does have a shot” against the legend.

An obvious reason for confidence was the junior world champion’s recent performances and a propensity to punch above her ranking. Another one was El Sherbini’s patchy form: she had lost four of her last seven matches on tour and didn’t look quite like herself this season.

As it turned out, Anahat proved Harinder right emphatically. Undaunted by her opponent’s reputation and her own reverence, the Indian unleashed the killer instinct that has made her one of the sport’s most exciting talents. The eight-time world champ stood vanquished 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 in the Silicon Valley Open Round of 16.

For Anahat, who shares the same coach with El Sherbini — former world No.1 Gregory Gaultier — it was an “unreal” feeling.

“I didn’t expect it to go like this.…