Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena: India signed off with a bronze medal in the men’s squash team event at the Asian Games 2026 after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Malaysia in the semifinal at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena here on Thursday.
Abhay Singh, the individual silver medallist, went down 3-0 to Eain Yow (11-8, 11-8, 11-8), the gold medallist of the individual event, while Veer Chotrani stunned Sanjay Jeeva 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-5) to level the tie. Velavan Senthilkumar then lost the deciding match to Ameeshenraj Chandaran (10-12, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9), as the Indian team settled for a bronze medal.
India made a disappointing start to the tie as Abhay Singh, who had won the silver medal in the men’s singles competition, went down 3-0 to Eain Yow. Abhay tried to challenge the Malaysian but struggled to find a way past his opponent, losing all three games 8-11, 8-11, and 8-11 in 27 minutes.
With Malaysia taking an early 1-0 lead, India needed a win in the second match to stay in contention. Veer Chotrani responded with a composed display, defeating Sanjay Jeeva 3-0 to level the tie 1-1. Veer controlled the contest from the outset and maintained his advantage through the match, winning 11-4, 11-8, 11-5.
With the scores level, the deciding match between Velavan Senthilkumar and Ameeshenraj Chandaran became crucial for both sides.
Velavan made an encouraging start, constantly putting Chandaran under pressure and edging a closely contested opening game 12-10.
Chandaran, however, fought back strongly in the second game and won it 11-6 to draw level. The Malaysian then moved ahead by taking the third game 11-8, despite Velavan making a strong effort to fight his way back into the contest.
Needing to win the fourth game to keep India’s hopes alive, Velavan continued to battle hard as the scores remained close throughout. Chandaran, however, held his nerve in the closing stages to win the game 11-9 and seal Malaysia’s 2-1 victory.
The defeat ended India’s hopes of reaching the gold medal match, with the team settling for bronze. Malaysia will face Pakistan in the final.
For Abhay, the bronze was his second medal of the ongoing Asian Games after he claimed silver in the men’s singles competition.
India had entered the 2026 Asian Games following a strong squash campaign at Hangzhou 2023, where the country won five medals – two gold, one silver and two bronze.
For Abhay, the bronze was his second medal of the ongoing Asian Games after he claimed silver in the men’s singles competition.
Article Source: IANS
