Asian Games 2026 Squash: Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh Win Silver

Two Indian silver medals were won in squash singles in the Asian Games 2026 held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh lost in their respective finals to the Malaysian defending champions in the women’s and men’s categories.

Anahat lost 3-0 to Sivasangari Subramaniam, whereas Abhay lost against Ng Eain Yow. Winning these games also meant the Malaysians earned a chance to get LA 2028 Olympic quota places, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.

Anahat Singh Makes History in Women’s Squash

At the Asian Games, Anahat Singh, who is an 18-year-old, created history when she became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal in singles squash. She lost the finals to Sivasangari 11-4, 11-4, 11-7.

Sivasangari dominated the first two sets while Anahat put up a fight in the third set. Anahat saved a match point but was unable to take it into the fourth set.

Anahat had previously made one of the most impressive comebacks of the tournament during the semi-final where she fought back from losing the first two sets to beat the sixth world ranking of Japan, Satomi Watanabe, 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3.

Her previous knockout victories were against Au Yeong Wai Iynn of Singapore in the round of 16 and Tanvi Khanna of India in the quarter-finals.

Prior to Anahat’s accomplishment, Indian women’s singles squash players had won bronze medals in the Asian Games. This includes Joshna Chinappa, who won bronze in Jakarta 2018, and Dipika Pallikal, who won bronze in Incheon 2014 and Jakarta 2018.

Abhay Singh Also Bags Silver

Indian Abhay Singh also ended up with a silver medal when he lost to Malaysia’s defending champion Ng Eain Yow in the men’s singles final.

Ng won the match against Abhay 11-9, 11-5, 11-5. While Abhay was neck-to-neck in the first game, he couldn’t keep up with the pace in the latter two games.

The 28-year-old Indian player didn’t lose any game before entering the final round. He had beaten Thailand’s Arkaradet Arkarahirunya, Sri Lanka’s Ravindu Laksiri, Japan’s Ryunosuke Tsukue and Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan in the knockout stage of the tournament.

With his silver medal, Abhay has become the second Indian to win a silver in men’s singles squash at the Asian Games after Saurav Ghosal. Ghosal made it to the men’s singles finals in both Incheon 2014 and Hangzhou 2023 but managed a silver both times.

Asian Games Squash Medalists and Quota for LA 2028

The individual winners of the squash event in Aichi-Nagoya had an early chance to win an LA 2028 Olympic Games quota, provided that the necessary qualifications were met. One of such conditions required a world ranking within the top 50 according to PSA on May 22, 2028.

Since both Indian athletes were defeated in their finals, the quota chances went to the Malaysian winners, provided that the conditions for the qualification are fulfilled.

India secured a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event by Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar. The next stage of the squash competition will be the teams’ event starting from September 28.