Indian squash duo Anahat, Abhay claim silver medals at Asian Games

Indian squash stars Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh concluded their Asian Games campaign with silver medals on Sunday, each falling to Malaysian rivals in their respective finals. Abhay Singh proved unable to match the consistency of Eain Yow Ng in the men's singles final, succumbing in straight games with a scoreline of 9-11, 5-11, 5-11. Eighteen-year-old Anahat Singh faced a similarly decisive defeat, losing 4-11, 4-11, 7-11 to Malaysia's Sivasangari Subramaniam in the women's singles final. The 17th-ranked Indian, who is the first from her country to win the world junior squash title, struggled against the fifth-ranked Sivasangari.

Sivasangari's victory proved decisive after she had closely studied Anahat's semifinal performance against Japan's Satomi Watanabe the previous day. Unlike her opponent, who mounted a remarkable comeback against the world number six player, Anahat could not replicate that form against the Malaysian champion. Sivasangari executed a well-crafted game plan to secure the gold medal and advance her claim at the sport's highest level.

Both Malaysian winners have qualified for squash's inaugural Olympic appearance at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, where they will defend their Asian Games titles. The qualification marks a significant milestone for the sport as it prepares for its debut on the Olympic stage, with the two Malaysian champions among the first athletes to secure their places in the competition.