Asian Games: Abhay, Anahat win squash silver, miss direct LA28 qualification
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Nagoya: India’s Abhay Singh and teenage star Anahat Singh won silver medals in the men’s and women’s singles squash events at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on Sunday, but both missed out on direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The winners of the singles events were assured a quota for the LA28 Games, where squash will make its Olympic debut.
Abhay went down 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 to Malaysia’s defending champion Eain Yow Ng in the men’s singles final at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, while Anahat lost 4-11, 4-11, 7-11 to Malaysia’s defending champion Sivasangari Subramaniam in the women’s final.
Abhay became only the second Indian man after Saurav Ghosal to win a silver medal in men’s singles at the Asian Games. Ghosal had claimed silver in 2014 and 2023.
The 44-minute men’s final was closely contested in the opening game before Eain gradually took control. The Malaysian, who had defeated Ghosal in the final at the previous edition, began cautiously as both players engaged in lengthy rallies.
Abhay made the first breakthrough with a deft backhand and briefly led 2-1. Eain responded with a four-point burst to move 6-3 ahead, but Abhay fought back to level the game at 8-8 with a well-disguised backhand winner and a stroke call.
Eain then earned two game points at 10-8. Abhay saved one, but the Malaysian closed out the opener 11-9.
The second game quickly swung in Eain’s favour. Abhay stayed level at 2-2 initially, but a series of errors allowed the defending champion to establish a 7-3 lead. Eain then moved to five game points at 10-5 before wrapping up the game to take a 2-0 lead.
Abhay made a promising start to the third game, moving 4-2 ahead after combining a precise backhand slice with a crosscourt kill.
Eain, however, remained composed and levelled at 4-4 before producing three consecutive points to move 7-5 ahead. Two more points took him to 9-5, leaving him within touching distance of the title.
Abhay could not find a way back. Eain earned five championship points at 10-5 and needed only one opportunity to finish the contest, with Abhay’s final slice hitting the tin.
The victory allowed Eain to retain his Asian Games men’s singles title and secured his qualification for the LA28 Olympics. He also became the first squash player to qualify for the Games without dropping a game throughout the Aichi-Nagoya competition.
In the women’s singles final, 18-year-old Anahat found it difficult to match the experience and intensity of Sivasangari, who successfully defended the gold medal she won at the Hangzhou Games.
The reigning Junior World Champion lost the opening game 4-11 as the Malaysian controlled the rallies with strong attacking and defensive play. Sivasangari maintained her dominance in the second game, winning it 11-4, before closing out the match 11-7 in the third.
Anahat became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal in women’s singles squash at the Asian Games.
The Indian teenager had earlier produced a remarkable comeback in the semifinal, defeating World No. 6 Satomi Watanabe after trailing by two games and saving two match points. Her victory made her the first Indian to reach the women’s singles squash final at the Asian Games.
However, her defeat in the gold-medal match meant she missed the direct Olympic qualification quota reserved for the women’s singles champion.
With IANS inputs