India squash stars Anahat Singh, Abhay Singh reach Asian Games finals

Indian squash players made a strong mark at the Asian Games on Saturday, with teenager Anahat Singh stunning world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe 3-2 to reach the women’s singles final, while Abhay Singh stormed into the men’s gold medal round.

The 18-year-old world junior champion staged a remarkable comeback after trailing 0-2 in the semifinal to register one of the biggest wins of her career.

Anahat won the five-game thriller 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3, avenging her defeat against Watanabe in another five-game contest earlier this year.

The Japanese home favourite appeared in control after taking the first two games, but Anahat fought back to level the match. The Indian then dominated the decider, leaving Watanabe with little opportunity to dictate the pace.

The semifinal was briefly interrupted after Anahat’s head collided with Watanabe’s shoulder while attempting to retrieve the ball. She received medical attention before play resumed.

Abhay then defeated Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan 3-0 (11-3, 12-10, 11-6) in the men’s singles semifinal to move into the final.

The Indian made a commanding start, racing to a 6-2 lead in the opening game and maintaining control through the 35-minute match. Irfan pushed him in the second game, but Abhay held his nerve before closing out the third without much trouble.

Earlier, Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar settled for bronze after losing 1-2 (11-10, 2-11, 11-10) to Hong Kong’s Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi in the mixed doubles semifinal.

The Indians had assured themselves of a medal by beating the Philippines’ David Pelino and Jemyca Aribado in the quarterfinals on Friday.

The bronze is Joshna’s sixth Asian Games medal. The 40-year-old has previously won two silver and three bronze medals at the continental event.