Nagoya, September 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s 18-year-old Anahat Singh admitted she was disappointed with her performance in the women’s singles final but said she was happy to take home a silver medal after losing to Malaysia’s defending champion Sivasangari Subramaniam at the Asian Games on Sunday.
Anahat went down 4-11, 4-11, 7-11 to the world No. 5 at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, ending her bid to become the first squash player to secure direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics through the Asian Games.
“I’m not happy at all with the way I played today. I think I could have definitely done a lot better. Maybe I got a bit too happy winning yesterday. I’m not too sure the adrenaline was too high, but I’ve definitely played a lot better than this. I’m still happy with the silver. It was more than I expected,” Anahat said after the final.
The teenager had produced a remarkable comeback in the semifinals against Japan’s Satomi Watanabe, overturning a two-game deficit and saving two match points to become the first Indian woman to reach an Asian Games squash singles final.
Reflecting on the tournament, Anahat said the experience of handling pressure on a major stage would be among her key takeaways.
“It’s only my second Asian Games, so just learning how to handle that pressure and playing against players who are more experienced,” she said.
The reigning Junior World Champion also acknowledged the gap between herself and an established top-five player such as Sivasangari.
“A lot didn’t work today, but she’s number five. Like I said before, there’s still a lot for me to improve on and there’s still a huge gap,” Anahat said.
She added that analysing the final would help her prepare for future encounters with Sivasangari and other leading players.
Anahat will now shift her focus to the team competition, which begins on Monday. India have two matches scheduled on the opening day.
“We have a good chance. We have a really strong team this time. We have Joshna, we have Tanvi, who’s been playing at the Asian Games,” she said, expressing hope that the squad can support each other and produce a strong performance in the coming week.
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