Asian Games 2026: India defeat China in opening squash ties in Nagoya

India’s men and women began their Asian Games 2026 squash campaigns in Nagoya on Monday, September 28, 2026, with the men's team beating China 3-0 in Pool A and the women's side edging China 2-1 in Pool C. The men swept their tie without serious resistance, while the women recovered from an early setback to complete their victory.

The men's 3-0 result came as Suraj Chand, Veer Chotrani and Velavan Senthilkumar all won their matches to clinch the tie in Pool A. The women's 2-1 win unfolded after Sameena Riaz lost a tight five-game match before teammates Tanvi Khanna and Joshna Chinappa won their encounters to secure the overall result in Pool C. Both fixtures were contested in Nagoya on Monday.

Suraj Chand set the tone for the men by defeating Du Shaoqian 11-4, 11-3, 12-10 in 30 minutes. Chand moved quickly through the first two games and was tested in the third when Du earned a game point, but Chand closed out the match.

Veer Chotrani extended India's lead with an 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 victory over U Haizhen in under 20 minutes. Velavan Senthilkumar completed the sweep by beating Zhou Penglin 11-3, 11-2, 11-4.

Sameena Riaz began the women's tie strongly by taking a two-game lead against Ziuan Yin but ultimately lost 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 9-11, 12-14 in a 41-minute contest. Riaz is the daughter of former India hockey Olympian and Asian Games gold medallist Mohammed Riaz.

Tanvi Khanna levelled the tie with an 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 win over Zhang Yuning in 17 minutes. Veteran Joshna Chinappa sealed the comeback for India by beating Liu Ziyi 12-10, 11-4, 11-6 in 22 minutes to clinch the 2-1 victory for the women's team.

The results give India opening wins in their respective pools at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya.