Abhay Singh Falls Short of Gold but Makes Asian Games History

India's Abhay Singh had to settle for a silver medal after Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng defeated him 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 in the men's singles squash final at the Asian Games 2026 on Sunday.

Abhay, who had never beaten Eain Yow in professional competition before the final, pushed his Malaysian opponent in the opening game but could not sustain the challenge as Eain Yow took control of the contest. The defeat ended Abhay's hopes of becoming only the second Indian man after Saurav Ghosal to win the Asian Games men's singles title.

Abhay Singh pushes Eain Yow in opening game

The final began with Abhay taking an early 2-1 lead, but Eain Yow quickly settled into the contest. The Malaysian moved ahead 6-3 before Abhay produced a determined fightback to level the game at 8-8.

With the opening game finely poised, Eain Yow edged ahead 10-8. Abhay saved one game point to reduce the deficit to 10-9, but the Malaysian held his nerve to close out the game 11-9.

Malaysian takes control

Eain Yow carried his momentum into the second game and quickly established a 6-3 advantage. Abhay struggled to find a response as the Malaysian controlled the rallies and prevented the Indian from mounting another comeback.

Eain Yow eventually claimed the second game 11-5, leaving Abhay needing to win three games in succession to keep his gold-medal hopes alive.

Abhay Singh fights back but falls short at Asian Games final

Abhay showed signs of a revival at the start of the third game, moving into a 5-3 lead and briefly putting Eain Yow under pressure.

However, the Malaysian regained control as the game progressed. Abhay was unable to maintain his advantage and Eain Yow closed out the game 11-5 to complete a straight-game victory.

The silver marks Abhay's first individual Asian Games medal. He had previously won a team gold and a mixed doubles bronze at the continental event.

Abhay Singh's road to the final

Abhay entered the final after producing one of the strongest performances of his Asian Games campaign in the semifinals. He defeated Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan 11-3, 12-10, 11-6 to book his place in the gold-medal match.

The result made Abhay only the second Indian man after Saurav Ghosal to reach the Asian Games men's singles final.

The Indian also arrived in strong form, having helped India win the 2025 SDAT Squash World Cup in Chennai and claimed the Indian Open in Mumbai and his third Tuanku Muhriz Trophy title in Malaysia in 2026.

Despite falling short of gold, Abhay leaves the Asian Games with a historic individual medal as India continues its campaign in squash.