India's quest for squash dominance met a bittersweet end in Nagoya
In short: Entering the 2026 Asian Games as defending men's team champions, the Indian squad faced immense pressure. While the competition in Aichi-Nagoya delivered several podium finishes, the much-anticipated title defence ended in a semi-final defeat, marking a shift in the regional squash hierarchy.
The men's team squash event at the 2026 Asian Games, held at the Nagoya Kinjo-Futo Arena between 28 September and 2 October, was a high-stakes arena for regional supremacy. The Indian men's squad, featuring players such as Abhay Singh, Veer Chotrani, Velavan Senthilkumar, and Suraj Chand, entered the tournament as the reigning champions following their gold-medal victory against Pakistan at Hangzhou 2023. However, their campaign ended in the semi-finals after a loss to Malaysia. The tournament featured twelve national delegations that had finalized their roster profiles for the competition. This specific event took place within the broader squash programme at the Nagoya Kinjo-Futo Arena.
Despite the loss in the team event, the Indian contingent, which included an eight-member squad, secured five medals in total across the Aichi-Nagoya games. This tally of two silver and three bronze medals matched India's overall medal count from the 2022 Hangzhou games, though the lack of a gold medal marked a departure from their previous performance. The individual performances were equally notable; Abhay Singh secured a silver in the men's singles after falling to Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng in the final. The Indian squad's bronze medal haul was bolstered by the mixed doubles pair of Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar. Their performance on the podium was part of a larger five-event medal effort.
The stakes extended beyond the Asian Games podium, as the men's and women's singles champions earned potential quotas for the LA 2028 Olympics, where squash is set to make its debut. While the Indian women's team, composed of Anahat Singh, Joshna Chinappa, Tanvi Khanna, and Shameena Riaz, secured their second consecutive bronze, the tournament highlighted the intense competition from nations like Malaysia and Hong Kong China. The women's team achieved their bronze by remaining undefeated throughout the pool stage and overcoming Singapore in the quarter-finals. Their journey eventually concluded against Hong Kong China in the semi-finals.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Squash at the 2026 Asian Games – Men's team
- Also: Asian Games 2026 squash: India medal winners, scores, points table and results
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