India’s Anahat Singh secured a historic silver medal in the women’s singles squash event at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 after losing to Malaysia’s defending champion Sivasangari Subramaniam in the final on Sunday.
Sivasangari defeated the 18-year-old Indian 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena to successfully defend the gold medal she won at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Anahat becomes first Indian woman to win singles silver
Anahat’s silver medal is a landmark achievement in Indian squash, as she became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal in the Asian Games women’s singles event. The teenager had earlier created history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the Asian Games women’s singles final. She secured her place in the title clash after producing a remarkable comeback against Japan’s Satomi Watanabe in the semifinal.
However, the final proved to be a difficult challenge against the experienced Malaysian, who controlled the contest from the beginning.
Sivasangari controls final
Anahat struggled to match Sivasangari’s attacking game in the opening game, with the Malaysian quickly establishing control and winning it 11-4. The second game followed a similar pattern as Sivasangari maintained the pressure and again won 11-4 to move within one game of the gold medal.
Anahat tried to fight back in the third game, but the defending champion remained composed. Sivasangari eventually closed out the contest 11-7 to complete a straight-game victory.
Anahat misses direct LA28 qualification
The defeat also meant Anahat missed the direct qualification opportunity for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics that was attached to winning the Asian Games singles title.
Squash will make its Olympic debut at LA28, making the Asian Games singles events particularly significant in the qualification pathway.
Abhay Singh also wins squash silver
Earlier on Sunday, India’s Abhay Singh also finished with a silver medal in the men’s singles squash event.
Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng defeated Abhay 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 in the final to retain his Asian Games title. The result made Abhay only the second Indian man after Saurav Ghosal to win a singles silver medal at the Asian Games. With Anahat and Abhay both finishing runners-up, India secured two silver medals from the individual squash events at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
