India's Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh won silver medals in the women's and men's singles squash events at the Asian Games 2026 on Sunday. Both Indians finished second at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena. They lost their respective finals to Malaysian opponents.
Anahat Singh lost the women's final to Malaysia's Sivasangari Subramaniam. The defending champion won 3-0. The game scores were 11-4, 11-4 and 11-7. Abhay Singh also faced a defending champion in the men's final. He lost 3-0 to Malaysia's Ng Eain Yow. The scores were 11-9, 11-5 and 11-5.
The defeats meant both Indian players missed the chance to secure early Olympic quota places for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The men's and women's singles champions at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games can earn LA 2028 Olympic quota places. However, they must also meet the required qualification conditions. These include holding a place inside the PSA world top 50 on May 22, 2028.
Anahat Singh Creates History
Anahat Singh struggled against Sivasangari in the first two games. The Malaysian controlled the rallies and built a comfortable lead. The Indian fought back in the third game. She showed greater resistance and saved a match point. However, Sivasangari eventually closed out the match 11-7.
Anahat had reached the final after producing a major comeback in the semi-final. The 18-year-old Indian defeated Japan's world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe 3-2 on Saturday. Anahat lost the first two games 9-11 and 11-13. She then changed the momentum. She won the next three games 12-10, 11-6 and 11-3 to complete a stunning comeback.
Anahat had also won her earlier matches without dropping a game. She defeated Singapore's Au Yeong Wai Iynn 3-0 in the round of 16. She then beat fellow Indian Tanvi Khanna 3-0 in the quarter-final.
Despite losing the final, Anahat achieved a historic milestone. She became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal in singles squash at the Asian Games. Dipika Pallikal had won bronze at the Incheon 2014 and Jakarta 2018 Games. Joshna Chinappa also won a bronze medal at Jakarta 2018.
Abhay Singh Secures Men's Singles Silver
Abhay Singh reached the men's final without losing a single game. The 28-year-old started strongly against Ng Eain Yow. He matched the Malaysian closely in the opening game but lost 9-11. Ng then took control of the match. He won the next two games 11-5 and 11-5 to complete a 3-0 victory.
Abhay began his campaign with a win over Thailand's Arkaradet Arkarahirunya in the round of 32. He then defeated Sri Lanka's Ravindu Laksiri in the round of 16.
The Indian continued his run by beating Japan's Ryunosuke Tsukue in the quarter-final. He then defeated Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan in the semi-final to reach the title clash. Abhay's silver medal also adds to India's history in men's singles squash at the Asian Games.
He became only the second Indian player to win a silver medal in the event. Saurav Ghosal had previously reached the men's singles final at Incheon 2014 and Hangzhou 2023. He lost both gold medal matches.
India Wins Three Squash Medals
India had already won a squash medal at the Asian Games 2026. Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar won bronze in the mixed doubles event on Saturday. India will now have more medal opportunities in the squash team events. The team competitions are scheduled to begin on Monday. The Indian players will look to add more medals after their strong performances in the singles events.