Anahat Singh and Tanvi Khanna advanced to the women’s singles quarterfinals at the Asian Games, setting up an all-India clash as Indian squash continued its campaign in Aichi-Nagoya.
Indian squash stars Anahat Singh and Tanvi Khanna booked their places in the women’s singles quarterfinals at the ongoing Asian Games on Thursday, setting up an all-India last-eight encounter.
Third seed Anahat produced a commanding performance against Singapore’s Au Yeong Wai Iynn, defeating her 3-0 with game scores of 11-4, 11-5, 11-7.
Tanvi also came through against Singaporean opponent Au Yeong Wai Yhann, recovering from a first-game loss to register a 3-1 victory. She won 5-11, 11-4, 11-5, 13-11 to join Anahat in the quarterfinals.
The result guarantees an Indian presence in the women’s singles semifinals, with Anahat and Tanvi now set to face each other in the next round.
Anahat Continues Strong Asian Games Campaign
Anahat entered the competition as the third seed and quickly established her control against Au Yeong Wai Iynn.
The Indian did not drop a game, winning all three comfortably to secure her quarterfinal berth.
Her progression comes during an important phase for squash, with the sport set to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The Asian Games tournament also carries significance in the qualification pathway, although the exact qualification mechanism and quota should be checked against the governing body’s official rules before publication.
Tanvi Overcomes Slow Start
Tanvi Khanna had to work harder for her place in the last eight.
She dropped the opening game 5-11 against Au Yeong Wai Yhann but quickly changed the momentum. The Indian responded by winning the next two games 11-4 and 11-5.
The fourth game was closely fought, with Tanvi eventually edging it 13-11 to complete the 3-1 victory.
Her win set up the all-Indian quarterfinal against Anahat, ensuring that one Indian player will progress to the semifinals.
Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar Reach Mixed Doubles Quarterfinals
India also secured a place in the mixed doubles quarterfinals through Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar.
The experienced pair defeated fellow Indians Suraj Chand and Shameena Riaz 2-0, winning 11-7, 11-10.
Joshna and Velavan controlled the opening game 11-7, but the second was considerably tighter.
Suraj and Shameena fought back from 7-9 to level the game at 9-9. Joshna and Velavan, however, held their nerve in the closing stages to take the game 11-10 and seal their quarterfinal place.
Roshibina Devi Wins Second Consecutive Asian Games Silver
Earlier in the day, Roshibina Devi added another Asian Games silver medal to her collection after losing to China’s Zhang Xiaoyu in the women’s sanda 60kg final.
The Indian wushu star was beaten 0-5 in both rounds, with Zhang completing a 2-0 victory.
Roshibina had already won silver at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, making this her second consecutive silver in the event. She also won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games.
Her latest medal therefore gives her three consecutive Asian Games medals in wushu.
Roshibina had an impressive run to the final in Japan. She defeated Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, the 2023 world champion, before overcoming Indonesia’s Thania Kusumaningtyas 2-0 in the semifinal on Wednesday.
India Reaches 14-Medal Mark
With Roshibina’s silver added to the tally, India had collected 14 medals at the ongoing Asian Games according to the supplied competition-day figures.
The tally stood at:
- 1 gold
- 6 silver
- 7 bronze
The medal count is time-sensitive and should be refreshed against the official Asian Games results before publication.
Rowing: Satnam Singh and Salman Khan Win Bronze
India also added a bronze medal in rowing through Satnam Singh and Salman Khan, who finished third in the men’s double sculls final.
The Indian duo clocked 6:13.25.
They were in medal contention throughout the race, holding second place at the 500m, 1000m and 1500m marks. However, they were unable to maintain that position during the closing stages.
China’s Yi Xudi and Nie Yide won gold, while Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov and Pavel Sorin took silver.
India’s pair finished 3.48 seconds behind the Chinese gold medallists and 2.76 seconds behind the silver-medal-winning crew.
Balraj Panwar Finishes Fourth in Men’s Singles Sculls
There was disappointment for Balraj Panwar, who narrowly missed the podium in the men’s singles sculls.
Panwar remained in second position through the 500m, 1000m and 1500m checkpoints and entered the final stretch with a substantial advantage over Japan’s Tatsuya Sakurama.
However, the Indian was overtaken during the final 500 metres by Uzbekistan’s Shakhboz Kholmurzaev and Sakurama.
Panwar finished fourth in 6:54.80, missing out on a medal despite remaining in podium contention for much of the race.
China’s Zhiwei Deng won the gold medal.
Indian Squash Eyes More Success
With Anahat Singh and Tanvi Khanna now set for an all-Indian quarterfinal and Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar through to the mixed doubles last eight, India’s squash campaign remains firmly in contention.
The women’s singles quarterfinal will guarantee India a semifinalist, while the mixed doubles pairing will also look to continue its run in the knockout stages.
For Anahat and Tanvi, however, the next match will carry an additional significance: only one of the two Indian contenders can progress to the women’s singles semifinals.