Anahat and Abhay reach Asian Games squash finals as Chinappa and Senthilkumar take mixed doubles bronze
On Saturday in Aichi Nagoya at the 2026 Asian Games, Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh advanced to the women's and men's singles finals while Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar secured bronze in mixed doubles. Anahat and Abhay are one win away from becoming India's first squash players to secure direct qualification for the 2028 LA Olympics.
India's first squash medal at the Asian Games 2026 was claimed by veteran Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar, who settled for bronze after losing their mixed doubles semi-final. The result left India with a confirmed medal on the day ahead of the singles finals. Joshna has now won medals at five consecutive Asian Games, with gold the only medal missing from her collection. Eighteen-year-old Anahat Singh and Abhay reached their respective finals later on Saturday.
In mixed doubles, Chinappa and Senthilkumar faced the Hong Kong pairing of Lee Kai Yi and Tang Ming Hong and lost a tight contest 10-11, 11-3, 10-11. The Indian duo led 3-1 in the opening game and moved 8-6 up before losing three straight points to trail 8-9 and drop the first game 10-11. They dominated the second game 11-3 to level the match, then trailed 2-5 in the decider before rallying to four match points at 10-7. The final phase included replayed points after lets and an umpire decision that a celebration by the Indian pair had distracted their opponents; the match ended with India losing the decider 10-11.
Anahat produced a comeback from 0-2 down to defeat world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe of Japan 3-2, with the scoreline 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3. Watanabe controlled the first two games while Anahat kept the margin close, then faced two match points at 8-10 in the third before winning four consecutive points to take it 12-10. Anahat won the fourth and fifth games convincingly, and her drop shots were singled out as a feature of the recovery.
Abhay Singh beat Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan 3-0, with a scoreline of 11-3, 12-10, 11-6 to reach the men's final. Abhay dominated the opening game, with Irfan unable to respond effectively, and the second game went to extra points before Abhay closed it out 12-10. After a slow start in the third, Abhay found his rhythm and pulled clear to complete a straight-games victory.
No Indian has ever won the gold medal in the singles event at the Asian Games. Anahat will meet Malaysia's Sivasangari Subramaniam in the women's final on Sunday, September 27 at 1:30 pm IST, while Abhay will face Malaysia's Yow Eain NG in the men's final on Sunday at 12:30 pm IST; a win for either player would also secure direct qualification for the 2028 LA Olympics.