Asian Games 2026 | Anahat and Abhay come up short againt Malaysia’s powerhouses

Abhay Singh won the silver medal in men's squash at the Asian Games in Japan on September 27, 2026. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy Malaysia’s chokehold on Asian squash continues unabated even as India’s hopes of a first-ever singles squash champion at the Asian Games remain unfulfilled.Reigning champions Sivasangari Subramanium and NG Eain Yow retained their titles in style in Nagoya on Sunday (September 27, 2026), defeating Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh 3-0 to reiterate their pre-eminent position on the continent and in the world. Perhaps more importantly, it showed the gap that the youngsters still need to cover before being serious challengers at the top. Anahat Singh who won the silver medal in women’s squash at the Asian Games in Japan on Sunday, September 27, 2026. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy Anahat was carrying the hopes of a nation when she stepped onto the squash court for her final here. But there was no fairy-tale ending for the 18-year-old in her maiden singles outing at the Games, finishing as the first Indian women’s silver medalist in the event.Having upset World No. 6 Satomi Watanabe a day before, Anahat was expected to provide tough competition to World No. 5 Sivasangari but for a large part of the match, she looked lost and searching for answers.Sivasangari controlled the game like she had something to prove. Every point was battled for, every ball chased and she still looked like wanting more. At the other end, Anahat was left chasing, as much the ball as the scoreline. The match lasted only 27 minutes and Anahat won a grand total of 15 points in her 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 defeat. India’s Anahat Singh competes in the women’s squash singles final against Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam in the 20th Asian Games, in Nagoya, Japan, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. | Photo Credit: PTI The men’s final was equally one-sided. Eain, who broke into the top-10 last year and is currently the highest-ranked Asian in the world at 18th, did not allow Abhay any space or freedom to take charge.Both players started steady with a mix of attack and strong defence and it initially looked like Abhay would be able to match up to the Malaysian.The first game was a close affair, Abhay mixing his shots and going soft and low to cramp Eain for space but everything he threw at his opponent was retrieved and returned. Malaysia's Eain Yow consoles India's Abhay Singh after winning the squash men's singles gold medal match on Sunday, September 27, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters Eain’s exceptional coverage and control made one wonder if the 28-year-old was seeing the ball even before it bounced. He finally took the game 11-9 in 21 minutes but things were very different when they returned.The second and third games were an absolute masterclass that Abhay had no answers to, constantly struggling to stay in the match. He managed to score 10 points in 19 minutes across two games as Eain wrapped things up for his second gold.Malaysia has now won five of the eight men’s titles since squash was included in the Asiad programme in 1998. It has won seven among the women. Published - September 27, 2026 09:19 pm IST