Anahat Singh fought back from 0-2 down to beat Japan’s world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe 3-2 and reach the women’s singles final
Abhay Singh defeated Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan 3-0 to reach the men’s singles final, becoming only the second Indian man after Saurav Ghosal to do so
India are guaranteed two singles medals, with Anahat and Abhay now fighting for gold
Anahat Singh produced a sensational comeback on Saturday, overturning a two-game deficit to defeat Japan’s world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe 3-2 and storm into the women’s singles squash final at the Asian Games in Nagoya.
The 18-year-old Indian appeared to be heading towards defeat after dropping the opening two games against the home favourite. But Anahat refused to give up, mounting a remarkable fightback to win the next three games and seal a 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3 victory.
The win also avenged Anahat’s earlier five-game defeat to Watanabe this year and put the teenager one victory away from an Asian Games gold medal.
The semifinal was filled with drama, with Anahat forced to receive medical attention after her head collided with Watanabe’s shoulder while attempting to retrieve the ball. Play was briefly halted following the collision before the Indian was cleared to continue.
Anahat, however, showed no signs of backing down after the restart.
Trailing 0-2, she clawed her way back into the contest by edging the third game 12-10. She then carried the momentum into the fourth, winning it 11-6 to level the semifinal and force a decider.
With the match on the line, Anahat took charge. She raced through the fifth game 11-3, leaving Watanabe with little room to respond as the Indian completed an extraordinary turnaround.
Abhay Singh Joins Anahat In Singles Finals
Indian squash is guaranteed a second singles finalist at the Asian Games after Abhay Singh powered past Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan 11-3, 12-10, 11-6 in the men’s singles semifinal to book his place in the gold-medal match.
Abhay needed around 30 minutes to get past Irfan and followed Anahat into the singles finals, giving India a finalist in both the men’s and women’s singles events. After comfortably taking the opening game, the Indian was made to work harder in the second before closing out the contest in straight games.
The victory also made Abhay only the second Indian man after Saurav Ghosal to reach an Asian Games singles final. He will now have the chance to fight for gold, with the winner also securing the Olympic qualification spot on offer.
Earlier, India had also secured a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event through Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar.
The Indian pair narrowly lost their semifinal against Hong Kong’s Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, going down 11-10, 2-11, 11-10 in a closely fought three-game contest.
After losing the opening game, Joshna and Senthilkumar responded strongly to level the match by winning the second. The Hong Kong pair, however, held their nerve in another tight deciding game to book their place in the final.
The Indians had already assured themselves of a medal by reaching the semifinals with a victory over the Philippines’ David Pelino and Jemyca Aribado on Friday.
For 40-year-old Joshna, the bronze marked her sixth Asian Games medal. She entered the competition with two silver and three bronze medals from previous editions.
With Anahat and Abhay now through to their respective singles finals, India are guaranteed at least two singles medals and have two opportunities to fight for squash gold at the Asian Games.
