Anahat Singh continued her remarkable rise on Saturday, carving out another place in Indian sporting history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the Asian Games squash final after a dramatic five-game victory over Japan's Satomi Watanabe in Hangzhou. On a day when composure, resilience and nerve mattered as much as skill, the 18-year-old junior world champion recovered from two games down to win 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3 in 51 minutes and keep India in contention for a gold medal and an Olympic spot.
The scale of the comeback made the result even more striking. Satomi, the World No. 6 and local favourite, appeared to have seized control after edging the first two games, but Anahat never allowed the match to drift beyond reach. Even when trailing, she kept the margins tight, refusing to let the deficit grow beyond three points at any stage. The match briefly turned physical as the two players collided, leaving Satomi nursing her shoulder and Anahat rubbing her jaw, but the Indian teenager showed no sign of losing focus.
Her breakthrough came in the third game, when she trailed 10-8 and then found a way back through a mix of patience and precision. She played soft shots to the bottom of the wall to level the score, was awarded a stroke for Satomi's obstruction, and then forced another drop to reel off five straight points. That turnaround not only saved the game but changed the momentum of the semifinal entirely. Anahat's only visible reaction came after that third-game win, when she let out a triumphant scream before settling back into the task with a calmness that belied the pressure of the occasion.
From there, the Indian took complete command. Satomi, who had looked in control early on, was unable to recover as Anahat's confidence grew and her shot selection sharpened. The final two games were one-sided, and the teenager closed out the contest with a mix of smile, relief and disbelief on her face. She will now face Malaysia's World No. 5 Sivasangari Subramaniam, who defeated Hong Kong's Chan Sin Yuk 3-0 in the other semifinal, in a final that carries both continental gold and the promise of an Olympic berth.
If Anahat's victory was defined by grit, Abhay Singh's was about control. The Indian men's player, seeded second and ranked more than 20 places above Pakistan's Mohd. Irfan, handled his semifinal with authority to win 3-0 and move into the final. The contrast with the women's match was immediate: where Anahat had been forced to fight from behind, Abhay established his rhythm from the opening points and never really let Irfan settle.
Abhay took the first game 11-3 in just nine minutes, using long rallies and measured shot-making to dictate the pace. Both players tried to keep the ball in play and conserve energy, but the Indian was always the more composed and efficient. The second game proved the most competitive of the match, with Irfan matching him point for point until 10-10 before Abhay edged ahead 12-10. That escape effectively broke the contest open. The third game returned to one-way traffic, and Abhay completed the 11-6 win with a smile that reflected both relief and anticipation.
He will now face Malaysia's Ng Eain Yow, who defeated Pakistan's Noor Zaman, in a final that also offers a gold medal and an Olympic place. For India, the prospect of both Anahat and Abhay contesting Asian Games finals on the same day marks a significant moment for the country's squash programme and underlines the depth emerging in the sport.
Earlier in the day, however, there was disappointment for Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar, who were denied a place in the mixed doubles final after a contentious semifinal loss to Hong Kong's Lee Ka Yi and Tang Ming Hong. The Indian pair had fought back from a game down and appeared to have won the deciding game before the final point was overturned, leaving them to settle for bronze after a 10-11, 11-2, 10-11 defeat.
Even so, the broader Indian picture remained overwhelmingly positive. With Anahat and Abhay both through to the final, India has a genuine chance to turn a landmark day into a historic one, with two gold-medal matches and Olympic qualification within reach.