Anahat Singh reaches Asian Games final in Nagoya, says Olympic quota was on her mind

Anahat Singh reached the women's singles final at the Asian Games in Nagoya on September 26, 2026, and said sealing the Olympic quota was on her mind after the win. The event's winner receives direct entry to Los Angeles 2028.

At 18, Anahat had already been India’s first-ever junior World champion before becoming the first Indian woman to reach an Asian Games final on Saturday. A photograph from September 25, 2026, shows Anahat competing in the women's singles quarterfinal against India's Tanvi Khanna at the ongoing Asian Games 2026.

“When I was losing, the first thought in my mind was that I couldn’t let the Olympic spot go by so quickly, and that is something that really motivates me. Coming into this event, a lot was expected. I still have a match left; hopefully I will take it further and gold tomorrow,” Anahat admitted after the win.

Abhay Singh confirmed a medal for himself by reaching the final and addressed pre-tournament talk about his form. “There was a lot of talk before, people saying I have only done well in team events and doubles, so it’s nice to get on the podium in a singles event,” he declared.

“No one comes to the semifinals of an Asian Games to go down easily. Respect to the kid (Irfan); he’s had some big wins, he’s a dangerous player, you need to respect your opponent. But you also need to give yourself respect. There’s a reason I am seeded second in the draw here. There are times I need to go back to remembering why, and sometimes that helps,” the 28-year-old added after securing his place in the final.

Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar were visibly disappointed after an ill-tempered match, with Joshna criticising a refereeing reversal. “I think it was obvious that we had already won that match and the referee had overturned his decision on a double bounce from the opponents. But it is what it is, things like this happen and as much as it’s very disappointing, I feel very proud with my partner that we played really well, we played with integrity and unfortunately it didn’t go our way,” Joshna admitted.

Anahat will contest the gold-medal match tomorrow, and Abhay’s appearance in the final guarantees him a podium finish at the Asian Games 2026.