Squash court (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Anahat Singh completed a five-game comeback win over Japan’s world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe to reach the Asian Games squash final.
The scoreline read 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3.
She called it the career-best performance of her career.
She will face Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam in the final on September 27.
A gold medal would carry direct qualification for the LA 2028 Olympics.
Abhay Singh will face Malaysia’s Ng Eain Yow in the men’s singles final.
Anahat Singh reached the final with a five-game comeback win over Japan’s world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe, 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3.
Abhay Singh beat Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan 3-0 (11-3, 12-10, 11-6) to reach his final.
A gold medal in squash singles at these Asian Games carries direct qualification for the LA 2028 Olympics, subject to athletes meeting all required criteria.
Squash is set to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
Both finals were scheduled for September 27 at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Anahat Singh had earlier called her semifinal comeback win the career-best performance of her career.
India’s squash programme has produced a strong pipeline of young players in recent years.
The Asian Games 2026 are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.
India’s broader medal tally at these Games has included medals in shooting, hockey, cricket and weightlifting.
Malaysia has traditionally been one of the strongest squash nations in Asia.
Squash has been a full medal sport at the Asian Games since 1998.
India first won an individual Asian Games squash medal in the men’s category in the early 2000s.
Junior-level success has been a strong indicator for several current Indian squash players, including past Asian junior titles.
The Professional Squash Association world rankings are used to seed players at major tournaments, including multi-sport Games like the Asian Games.
Squash court (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
