Nagoya, September 26 (Daily Kiran) : Abhay Singh has made a significant mark at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya. On Saturday, he triumphed over Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan with a convincing score of 3-0, securing his place in the men’s singles squash final. The match concluded with scores of 11-3, 12-10, and 11-6.
Earlier, Anahat Singh had already reached the women’s singles squash final, becoming the first Indian woman to achieve this milestone. Both players are now on the verge of winning gold medals and qualifying directly for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Ranked 26th in the world, Abhay Singh is now the second Indian male player to reach the Asian Games men’s singles final, following Saurav Ghosal, who earned silver medals in 2014 and 2023.
Abhay started strong, winning the first game 11-3. Irfan had previously defeated India’s Veer Chhotrani in the quarter-finals, but he faced tough competition in the second game, which reached a tense 10-10 tie. Maintaining his composure, Abhay clinched the game 12-10, taking a 2-0 lead.
The third game mirrored the first, with Abhay controlling the pace and earning four match points. He capitalized on his first match point to secure the victory, solidifying his place in the gold medal match. His opponent in the final could potentially be another Pakistani player, Noor Zaman, who is set to compete against Malaysia’s Ean Yow Ng on the same day.
In the women’s singles, Anahat Singh faced Japan’s sixth-ranked player, Satomi Watanabe, and pulled off a remarkable comeback, winning 3-2. After losing the first two games 9-11 and 11-13, the 18-year-old Indian athlete rallied back, winning the third game 12-10 after trailing 8-10, and ultimately taking the last two games 11-6 and 11-3.
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