Anahat Singh takes silver after 0-3 loss to Sivasangari in Asian Games 2026 singles final

Anahat Singh lost 0-3 to Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam in the women’s singles final at the Asian Games 2026 on Sunday, falling 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena in a 27-minute match. The 18-year-old’s second-place finish made her the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games singles silver in squash.

Sivasangari Subramaniam entered the final as the top seed and world No. 5 and retained the Asian Games title she had won in Hangzhou 2023. Anahat arrived in Nagoya already carrying two bronze medals from the previous Asian Games in the women’s team event and mixed doubles, and had become the first Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championship earlier this year.

The final unfolded quickly, with Sivasangari establishing control from the start and taking the opening two games 11-4, 11-4. Match statistics show the Malaysian dictated rallies and moved efficiently around the court, allowing her to keep Anahat under sustained pressure. Anahat managed to be more competitive in the third game, but Sivasangari handled the decisive points to close out the match 11-7.

Sivasangari completed the victory in 27 minutes, retaining her Asian Games crown from Hangzhou 2023. The scoreline underlined the Malaysian’s strong start and ability to maintain momentum through the fixture’s key moments.

Anahat’s route to the final included a Round of 16 win over Singapore’s Wai Lynn Au Yeong and a quarter-final victory against compatriot Tanvi Khanna. Those wins set up her semi-final meeting with Satomi Watanabe.

In the semi-final against Japan’s world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe, Anahat recovered from 0-2 down, saved two match points, and prevailed 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3 to reach the final. That comeback was the decisive match that earned her a place in the title contest.

The silver medal ends Anahat’s bid for an Asian Games singles gold but represents a historic result for India: she is the first Indian woman to reach and finish as runner-up in an Asian Games squash singles event, and alongside Abhay Singh she and Abhay became India’s first two individual singles finalists at the same Asian Games.