Nagoya, Indian teen sensation Anahat Singh registered the biggest win of her career as she rallied to humble Japan's world number 6 Satomi Watanabe 3-2 and storm into the final of women's singles squash competition at the Asian Games here on Saturday.
The 18-year-old Indian staged a remarkable comeback after being down 0-2 at one stage of the semifinal. Anahat won the duel 9-11 11-13 12-10 11-6 11-3, exacting sweet revenge for losing to the same player in another five games earlier this year.
Earlier, the duo of Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar settled for the bronze medal after suffering a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to against Hong Kong's Tang Ming Hong and Lee Ka Yi after an intense three gamer at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena.
Deep Dive
How did Anahat Singh perform in her semifinal match against Satomi Watanabe?
What motivated Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh at the 2026 Asian Games?
What injuries were reported during Anahat Singh's matches at the Asian Games?
Then, young superstar Anahat was trailing 0-2 against home favourite Watanabe in her semifinal contest that was stretched to five games and which also saw the Indian's head colliding with the Japanese player's shoulder as the teenager looked to retrieve the ball.
The match was stopped for a brief while as Anahat received medical attention after the unfortunate collision.
{{/usCountry}}The match was stopped for a brief while as Anahat received medical attention after the unfortunate collision.
{{/usCountry}}Down 0-2 after losing the first two games, Anahat had a mountain to climb but she showed great character to make a strong comeback to claim the third game and fourth games and force a decider, in which the Indian did not allow her opponent to dictate terms.
In the mixed doubles semifinals, after a tight first game in which Lee Ka Yi and Tang Ming Hong edged the Indians, Joshna and Senthilkumar bounced back in style to claim the second game.
However, in another extremely close affair, the players from Hong Kong kept their composure to emerge winners and enter the final of the event.
The Indians had assured themselves of a medal by progressing to the semifinals with a win over David Pelino and Jemyca Aribado of the Philippines on Friday.
It is the sixth Asian Games medal for 40-year-old Joshna. She already has a haul of two silver and three bronze medals at the continental event.