Silver Isn’t Enough for Abhay Singh as LA 2028 Dream Takes Centre Stage

Abhay Singh refused to attach much significance to his Asian Games silver medal after losing the men's singles final to Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng, admitting he had "no answers" to the Malaysian's superior performance on Sunday.

Eain Yow defeated Abhay 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 to claim the gold medal, leaving the Indian with his first individual medal at the Asian Games. But Abhay made it clear that silver was not what he had travelled to Japan for.

"Nothing, to be really honest. I didn't come here for silver, nothing to celebrate to be really honest," Abhay said in the mixed zone after the final.

The Indian, however, was quick to give credit to his opponent, acknowledging that Eain Yow produced the better performance when it mattered.

"I think he was just better all around. Sometimes you need to put your hands up and give credit to your opponent and I think he deserves to win today," Abhay said.

Abhay Singh admits Eain Yow's weight of shot made the difference

Abhay had threatened to turn the final around after recovering from 6-3 down to level the opening game at 8-8. He eventually lost the first game 11-9 before Eain Yow took control of the contest and won the next two games 11-5, 11-5.

Reflecting on the tactical battle, Abhay said the Malaysian's superior weight of shot gradually put him under increasing pressure.

"I think it was an accumulation of a lot of pressure. His weight of shot was certainly better than me today. I think when you do that over 20 minutes, that can eat into the legs," he said.

The Indian also acknowledged the quality of squash produced by Eain Yow, who was appearing in his third successive Asian Games final.

"I think he played some brilliant squash. It might look like I didn't have much of a fight there, I was really pushing, I was really trying, but some days you just don't have an answer," Abhay said.

Experience, he felt, also played a role in the outcome.

"He's played three Asian Games finals in a row now, that's spanning across eight years. It's my first one in an individual event, so I think experience plays a part. Not necessarily in the nerves bit, because I've played big finals myself, but how to bring out the squash," he added.

"If the first game went my way, maybe there was a different match"

Abhay insisted that he was constantly searching for a way back into the contest, particularly after falling behind in the opening stages.

"I was always trying to find a way back in. I did well towards the business end of the first, I was stuck at five all in the third. It was the mid part of the game where he was playing some points better," he said.

The Indian felt there were still positives to take from his performance, despite the straight-game defeat.

"All around I think there's bits in that that I can take back and be proud of. Some squash was good, very impressive, some not very good. If the first game went my way, maybe there was a different match on there, but that's not how it works," he said.

Abhay also rejected the suggestion that overthinking had contributed to his defeat, explaining that adapting tactically was necessary when an initial strategy failed.

"There was no overthinking. You have to switch thoughts when plan A doesn't work, you need to go to plan B. I think players with that sort of experience in big finals will always have an answer to any game you put out," he said.

Team event provides immediate chance to respond

Abhay will not have much time to dwell on the singles defeat, with the team event beginning on Monday.

"The team event starts tomorrow, I need to sit down and check. We have two matches tomorrow, so I just need to see what's happening with that," he said.

India face a difficult test against Korea, with Abhay admitting he may have to quickly reset after the disappointment of the singles final.

"They're a strong team, so maybe I have to get back on track tomorrow," he added.

LA 2028 Olympic dream remains alive

Beyond the Asian Games, Abhay has already turned his attention towards the qualification race for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, where squash will make its Olympic debut.

The Indian said his immediate objective is to improve his world ranking and secure qualification through his ranking position.

"Of course now the plan is to get that world ranking up and qualify on my world ranking. The LA Olympics dream is not done, this is just a bonus to be really honest," Abhay said.

He added that he currently sits as India's highest-ranked player and would qualify if the qualification process ended with the rankings in their current position.

"I'm ranked number one on the Indian team right now. On my current ranking, I would qualify if the qualifying ends today. It's just a matter of staying where I am and pushing up," he said.

Abhay also insisted that the Olympic qualification pathway did not weigh on his mind during the final.

"No, not really. It's a bonus. You can't think much of what's coming after a result. You need to stay in the moment," he said.

"I wasn't nervous as such. I wasn't overthinking too many things. There's still a shot at it. It's still not done. We'll see what happens."