India’s Anahat Singh made history at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 after winning the silver medal in the women’s singles squash event. She became the first Indian woman to reach the singles final at the Asian Games.
However, Anahat’s bid for gold ended with a straight-games defeat against Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam on Sunday. The Malaysian won the final 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 to retain her Asian Games singles title.
Sivasangari Takes Control Early
Anahat started the final by winning the opening point, but Sivasangari quickly found her rhythm. The Malaysian put Anahat under pressure with her pace and movement, forcing the Indian to make several errors.
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Anahat struggled to keep her shots away from the tin as Sivasangari went on a six-point run to move 7-3 ahead. The Malaysian extended her advantage to 9-3 before Anahat finally stopped the run.
Sivasangari, though, did not allow the Indian to make a comeback and wrapped up the first game 11-4.
Malaysian Star Dominates Second Game
The second game followed a similar pattern, with Sivasangari racing to a 4-0 lead.
She regularly changed the pace of the rallies, bringing Anahat towards the front of the court before sending the ball deep. That made it difficult for the Indian to recover and regain control of the rallies.
Sivasangari moved 8-3 ahead and soon finished the game 11-4, leaving Anahat needing a big turnaround to stay alive in the final.
Anahat Fights Back, But Falls Short
Anahat showed more fight in the third game and managed to put Sivasangari under pressure at times. However, some costly errors continued to hurt her, with a number of shots again ending in the tin.
Sivasangari kept attacking with flatter, sharper shots and refused to let Anahat settle into the game.
The Malaysian eventually closed out the third game 11-7, completing a straight-games win.
Historic Silver for Anahat
Despite the defeat, Anahat leaves the Asian Games with a historic silver medal. Her run to the final marked a landmark moment for Indian women’s squash, as she became the first Indian woman to reach the singles final at the Asian Games.
For Sivasangari, the victory marked her second consecutive Asian Games women’s singles gold medal.