Asian Games 2026 Squash: Malaysia鈥檚 Golden Double in Nagoya
Asian Games 2026 Squash: Malaysia Completes Golden Double
The Asian Games 2026 Squash competition produced a historic double for Malaysia as Sivasangari Subramaniam and Eain Yow Ng successfully defended their women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 singles titles in Nagoya. Both players defeated Indian opponents in the finals and became the first squash players to secure qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, where squash will make its Olympic debut.
The victories also delivered Malaysia鈥檚 fifth and sixth gold medals of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with both top seeds completing their campaigns without dropping a game.
Asian Games 2026 Squash: Eain Yow Ng Retains Men鈥檚 Title
World No. 18 Eain Yow Ng produced a commanding performance against India鈥檚 Abhay Singh in the men鈥檚 singles final at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena.
The Malaysian won 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 in straight games to retain the Asian Games title he won at Hangzhou 2022. The victory also secured his place at LA28 through the Asian Games continental qualification pathway.
For Abhay, the silver marked an important individual milestone. The world No. 26 became only the second Indian man after Saurav Ghosal to win an individual Asian Games squash medal. He had reached the final after defeating Pakistan鈥檚 Muhammad Irfan 11-3, 12-10, 11-6 in the semifinal.
Asian Games 2026 Squash: Sivasangari Subramaniam Defends Gold
Malaysia鈥檚 Sivasangari Subramaniam completed the golden double later in the women鈥檚 final against India鈥檚 teenage star Anahat Singh.
The world No. 5 and top seed controlled the match from the opening rally, defeating the 18-year-old Indian 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 in 27 minutes. Sivasangari therefore retained her Asian Games crown and also booked her place at the 2028 Olympics.
Anahat鈥檚 silver was nevertheless historic. She became the first Indian woman to reach an Asian Games singles squash final. Her route to the final included a remarkable semifinal comeback against Japan鈥檚 world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe, where Anahat recovered from two games down to win 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3, after saving two match points.
Asian Games 2026 Squash: A New Olympic Chapter
The Malaysian victories carry significance beyond the Asian Games medal table. Under the LA28 qualification system, the Asian Games singles champions earn continental qualification places, making Sivasangari and Eain Yow the first squash players to qualify for the 2028 Olympics.
For India, the two silver medals underline the country’s growing strength in squash. Abhay reached his first Asian Games singles final, while Anahat broke new ground by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the singles title match.
The finals therefore delivered two different stories: Malaysia strengthened its position at the top of Asian squash, while India鈥檚 young singles stars added significant milestones to their careers.
