Asian Games 2026: Abhay Singh says 'There was a lot of Talk' before Gold Medal match in Squash

India's Abhay Singh produced a commanding performance at the Asian Games 2026, defeating Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan in straight games to reach the men's singles squash final and assure the country of at least a silver medal.

The second-seeded Indian controlled the semifinal from the outset, winning 11-3, 12-10, 11-6 in a 35-minute contest. Abhay dominated the opening game before Irfan mounted a stronger challenge in the second. However, the Indian held his nerve at 10-10 to take the next two points and move within one game of the final. He then regained control in the third, closing out the match 11-6.

Abhay Singh on the verge of History for India

The victory is another landmark moment in Abhay's Asian Games career. The 28-year-old Chennai-based player had earlier defeated Japan's Ryunosuke Tsukue 11-4, 11-3, 11-6 in the quarter-finals. He is now only the second Indian man to reach an Asian Games squash singles final, following Saurav Ghosal, who won silver in both 2014 and 2023. Abhay will face Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng in Sunday's gold-medal match.

The result also gives Abhay an opportunity to make history with India's first Asian Games men's singles squash gold. A gold medal could additionally secure a direct qualification pathway for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, subject to the applicable qualification criteria.

And after his stellar semifinal, Abhay spoke with the reporters, depicting his thoughts on the game and performance.

"When an event comes once in 3-4 years, I think you turn up and do well. You don't really get these chances that often, so yeah, I'm making the most of it," he said.

The player also revealed how growing age has made him more mature, where he learned to control his emotions and stay focused.

"I'm working with James Woodstraw very closely. Multiple Commonwealth gold medalist, world number one. If someone knows how to keep their nerve in big matches, it's players like these. So I think that helps, not getting too excited. Maybe sometimes you need to get too excited if you're not feeling it. So I think it comes a bit from the team," he added.

The player says he will play some games with his playstation and have some good Sushi ahead of Sunday's final, with an eye for the Gold medal.

"There was a lot of talk, people saying I've only done well in team events and doubles events. So yeah, it's nice to get on that podium in a singles event. Like I said, we can't get too excited about tomorrow," he concluded.