Asian Games 2026: India assure three squash medals as Anahat, Abhay, Joshna - Velavan advance

India have assured themselves of three squash medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with Anahat Singh, Abhay Singh and the mixed doubles pair of Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar all reaching the semifinals on Friday.

The three semifinal berths came in different events, giving India multiple opportunities to add to their medal tally in squash.

Anahat produced a dominant performance in an all-Indian women’s singles quarterfinal, beating Tanvi Khanna 3-0 in just 15 minutes. The 18-year-old won 11-2, 11-5, 11-3 to book her place in the last four.

Abhay also advanced in straight games, defeating Japan’s Ryunosuke Tsukue 3-0 in the men’s singles quarterfinal. The Indian will now continue his campaign in the semifinals. 

Joshna and Velavan completed India’s trio of assured medals in mixed doubles. The Indian pair defeated the Philippines’ David Pelino and Jemyca Aribado 11-3, 11-5 in their quarterfinal, finishing the contest in under half an hour.

For 40-year-old Joshna, the medal is the sixth of her Asian Games career. She has already won two silver and three bronze medals across her previous six appearances, making this her seventh Asian Games.

India’s other men’s singles contender, Veer Chotrani, was unable to join Abhay in the semifinals. He lost 1-3 to Pakistan’s Muhammad Irfan, going down 11-6, 8-11, 3-11, 3-11.

Irfan will now face Abhay in the semifinal, guaranteeing another Indian-Pakistani clash for a place in the final.

With three medals already assured, India’s squash contingent will head into Saturday’s semifinals with a chance to add to the podium haul.