Aichi-Nagoya : Indian squash players Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh stormed into the women's and men's singles semi-finals respectively at the Asian Games 2026 after registering straight-game victories in their quarterfinals on Friday.
The 18-year-old Anahat produced a dominant display against compatriot Tanvi Khanna, defeating the 30-year-old 3-0 (11-2, 11-5, 11-3) in just 15 minutes in the women's singles quarterfinal.
Anahat took control from the opening game, winning 11-2 in five minutes with a series of well-directed drops. Tanvi struggled to cope with Anahat's flat and fast game, as the youngster continued to find points with her attacking shots.
The second game followed a similar pattern, with Anahat maintaining the pressure despite a late surge from Tanvi to win 11-5 in six minutes.
Anahat completed the victory with an 11-3 win in the third game to book her place in the last four. She will face Japan's Satomi Watanabe in the semifinal. Watanabe, the world No. 6, won a bronze medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Anahat and Watanabe have met once previously, with the Indian taking a 2-0 lead before the Japanese player changed tactics to win the contest 3-2.
In the men's singles, Abhay Singh also advanced to the semifinals with a comfortable 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-6) win over Japan's Ryunosuke Tsukue in 30 minutes. Abhay dominated the contest from the outset and never allowed his Japanese opponent to build momentum, sealing a straight-game victory.
Abhay could face compatriot Veer Chotrani in the semifinal if the latter defeats Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan in his quarterfinal later in the day. An all-Indian semifinal would guarantee India at least a silver medal in the men's singles event.
India has already secured medals in squash at the ongoing Games, with Joshana Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar reaching the mixed doubles semifinals after defeating the Philippines' David Pelino and Jemcya Aribado in their quarterfinal.
India enjoyed a strong day at the Asian Games 2026, with shooting, squash, kabaddi and table tennis producing key results. Kamaljeet and Suruchi Inder Singh won gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, while Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudrankksh Patil and Niraj Kumar secured silver in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions team event.
India confirmed multiple squash medals, with Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh reaching the women's and men's singles semifinals respectively, while Joshana Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar advanced to the mixed doubles semifinals. In table tennis, Diya Chitale and Manush Shah secured a medal after reaching the mixed doubles semifinals. Yashaswini Ghorpade also advanced in women's singles.
The defending champions India entered the women's kabaddi final after defeating Nepal, while the women's hockey team beat Japan 3-1 in Pool B. In swimming, Sajan Prakash, Rishabh Das and Utkarsh Patil advanced to their respective finals. Badminton also saw wins for Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto and Unnati Hooda.
India suffered exits in fencing, canoe sprint and some swimming events, while the women's kayak four finished eighth. Anamika Aneesh and Pooja remained seventh and ninth respectively in the heptathlon standings. India also lost 0-2 to South Korea in Pokémon Unite esports.