Anahat Singh Makes History After Stunning Watanabe Comeback

Anahat Singh produced the comeback of her Asian Games campaign on Saturday, overturning a two-game deficit against Japan's world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe to reach the women's singles squash final in Nagoya.

The 18-year-old Indian prevailed 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3 in a gripping semifinal at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, recovering from a precarious 0-2 position to become the first Indian woman to reach an Asian Games singles final.

The victory also carried a measure of revenge. Watanabe had beaten Anahat in another five-game contest earlier this year, but the teenager held her nerve when the stakes were considerably higher.

Anahat Singh survives early setback to turn semifinal around

The semifinal appeared to be slipping away from Anahat after Watanabe edged the opening two games.

The Japanese home favourite took the first 11-9 before narrowly claiming the second 13-11, leaving Anahat with little room for error. The Indian, however, refused to let the deficit dictate the remainder of the contest.

Anahat clawed her way back by taking the third game 12-10 and then carried that momentum into the fourth, winning it 11-6 to force a decider.

The fifth game was where the teenager took control. She established an early advantage and refused to allow Watanabe back into the contest, closing out an 11-3 victory to complete one of the most significant wins of her young career.

The match was briefly interrupted after a collision between the two players, with Anahat receiving medical attention before play resumed.

Anahat Singh had earlier ended Tanvi Khanna's campaign

Anahat's run to the final began with a commanding performance against compatriot Tanvi Khanna in the quarterfinals.

In an all-Indian last-eight clash on Friday, Anahat needed just 19 minutes to dispatch the senior player 11-2, 11-5, 11-3 and book her place in the semifinals.

The teenager admitted afterwards that playing a teammate presented its own challenge.

"Playing against Tanvi is never easy because you are playing against a teammate and someone you spend so much time with off court," Anahat told TOI.

"We play each other so much in local events, so we both knew what to expect. I'm just so happy to have got through today. At the moment, I'm taking it one step at a time and trying to take the pressure off myself," she added.

Her next challenge was Watanabe, against whom she had already faced a five-game battle earlier in the year.

"I've been preparing and looking back at our match. I'm really trying to learn from that, so hopefully I can take a lot from it heading into the semifinals," Anahat had said.

She has now turned that preparation into a place in the Asian Games final.

Who is Anahat Singh?

Anahat Singh is one of the brightest young prospects in Indian squash, having built an impressive international résumé before even turning 18.

Born on March 13, 2008, in New Delhi, Anahat began her squash journey in 2019 and first attracted major attention by winning the U-11 British Junior Open that year.

Since then, her rise has accelerated. In February 2026, she won the Squash On Fire Open PSA Tour event in the United States, a breakthrough that took her into the world's top 20 for the first time.

That achievement also made her only the third Indian woman to enter the world top 20 and the youngest Asian woman to reach that mark.

With squash set to make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, Anahat's progress has added another intriguing dimension to India's prospects in the sport.

Joshna Chinappa, Velavan Senthilkumar settle for bronze

India's Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar, meanwhile, finished with a bronze medal in mixed doubles after losing their semifinal to Hong Kong's Lee Ka Yi and Tang Ming Hong.

The Indians dropped a tightly contested opening game before responding strongly to level the match. However, the Hong Kong pair held their nerve in another close third game to book their place in the final.

Joshna and Senthilkumar had assured themselves of a medal by defeating the Philippines' David Pelino and Jemyca Aribado 11-3, 11-5 in the quarterfinals.

For Joshna, the bronze is her sixth Asian Games medal. The 40-year-old has now collected two silver and four bronze medals across seven successive appearances at the continental event.