Asian Games: Anahat Singh, Abhay Singh win silver in squash
What's the story
Anahat Singh, India's rising squash star, won a silver medal in the women's singles event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Anahat lost the gold-medal match against Malaysia's Sivasangari Subramaniam. The match lasted just 27 minutes, with Anahat losing three straight games. This marked India's 32nd medal at this edition of the Asian Games, with four golds, 14 silvers, and 14 bronze medals.
Profile
Who is Anahat Singh?
Anahat Singh, the 18-year-old squash prodigy, became the first Indian woman to reach the singles final and win an Asian Games silver.
Early in her career, she transitioned from badminton to squash before dominating international junior circuits.
Her stellar journey includes becoming India's youngest Commonwealth Games athlete at 14. She also secured the 2026 Junior World Championship title and broke into the global top 20.
Men's final
Abhay Singh wins silver in men's singles
Earlier, in the men's singles final, Abhay Singh won a silver medal after losing to Malaysia's Ng Eain Yow. The match ended with scores of 9-11, 5-11, and 5-11.
Despite his loss, Abhay's performance was commendable as he had reached the finals by defeating Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan in the semifinals.
He was only the second Indian man to reach the singles final in squash at the Asian Games.
Olympics
Olympic qualification for Abhay Singh
Apart from losing the final, Abhay Singh also missed the automatic LA2028 Olympic qualification. The direct spot was reserved for the Asian Games 2026 gold medalist.
Despite this setback, the Indian player can still qualify through the upcoming continental events or global rankings.
Notably, squash will make its historic Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.