Anahat Singh has produced the biggest win of her career so far at the Asian Games, reaching the women’s singles squash gold-medal match after defeating world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe in a dramatic five-game contest.
The Indian teenager recovered from a two-game deficit to win 3-2, saving match points in the third game before completing a remarkable comeback.
The victory also saw Singh create a new milestone for Indian squash. She has become the first Indian woman to reach the Asian Games women’s singles squash final.
Anahat Singh Scripts History in Asian Games Squash
Singh’s semifinal against Satomi Watanabe appeared to be slipping away after the Japanese player took the opening two games.
The Indian, however, refused to give up. She survived match points in the third game and began turning the contest around, eventually winning the next three games to complete a 3-2 comeback.
The result marks a significant breakthrough in Singh’s Asian Games career and Indian women’s squash history.
Before Singh’s run, India’s best performances in the women’s singles event at the Asian Games had been bronze medals won by players including Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa.
Singh has now gone one step further by booking a place in the gold-medal match.
Anahat Survives Match Points to Complete Comeback
The semifinal became particularly dramatic as Singh battled through a difficult phase and saved match points while trailing.
A collision during the match also led to a brief stoppage as the Indian player received medical attention.
Despite the interruption and the pressure of the situation, Singh returned to the contest and maintained her focus. Winning the next three games allowed her to turn a 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 victory.
The comeback against a top-ranked opponent makes the achievement especially significant in the teenager’s career.
Gold Medal Could Bring LA 2028 Olympic Qualification
Singh’s historic final appearance carries another major significance.
According to the supplied report, winning the Asian Games women’s singles gold medal would also secure direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
That puts an Olympic qualification opportunity within one match for the young Indian squash player.
Singh has already won two Asian Games bronze medals at Hangzhou in 2022, where she finished on the podium in mixed doubles and in the team event.
A gold medal in the women’s singles event would therefore represent another major step in her international career.
Anahat Singh Eyes Gold After Historic Semifinal Win
With the semifinal victory secured, Singh will now compete for the Asian Games women’s singles gold medal.
Whatever the outcome of the final, her run has already rewritten an important chapter in Indian squash history by taking an Indian woman into the Asian Games singles final for the first time.
The final will now determine whether Singh can add a historic gold medal to her growing list of international achievements and, according to the reported qualification pathway, secure a place at the LA 2028 Olympics.
Abhay Singh Also Reaches Squash Gold Medal Match
India’s men’s squash campaign has also produced a strong result.
Abhay Singh defeated Pakistan’s Muhammad Ashab Irfan 3-0 in the men’s event to book his place in the gold-medal match.
Abhay won the contest 11-3, 12-10, 11-6, completing a straight-games victory.
His result means India will have representation in both the men’s and women’s squash gold-medal matches.
Indian Squash Eyes Double Gold
With Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh both reaching their respective finals, Indian squash has put itself in contention for two Asian Games gold medals.
For Singh, the women’s final carries additional historical importance after her record-breaking semifinal comeback. A victory would not only secure the Asian Games title but, as reported, also provide direct qualification for the LA 2028 Olympics.
The teenage star will now have one final challenge between her and a potential gold-medal-winning moment that could become one of the defining achievements of her young career.
