There will be Indian interest in all three finals of the Asian Squash Doubles Championship 2025 with the country’s top players advancing to the summit clash in the men’s, women’s and mixed events at the Arena Emas in Johor, Malaysia, on Wednesday.
Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh will be a part of two finals each.
The 17-year-old Anahat and Joshna Chinappa made the final in women’s doubles after easing past Hong Kong China’s Kirstie Wong Po Yui and Toby Tse Yee Lam, bronze medallists from the last edition, 2-0 (11-7, 11-6) in the semis.
The Indian squash players will be looking to become the first duo from the country to become Asian champions in women’s doubles when they face the Malaysian pair of Ainaa Amani and Yee Xin Ying in the final on Thursday.
Anahat Singh will also be involved in the mixed doubles gold medal match.
Top seeds Anahat and Abhay Singh, mixed doubles bronze medallists from the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, got the better of Malaysia’s Ainaa Amani and Syafiq Kamal by a 2-1 (11-8, 10-11, 11-5) scoreline in the semis.
They will meet another Malaysian duo, Ameeshenraj Chandaran and Rachel Arnold, in the gold medal match after the home favourites denied an all-Indian final by defeating Joshna and her mixed doubles partner Velavan Senthilkumar 2-1 (8-11, 11-7, 11-9).
Interestingly, Abhay Singh had partnered up with Joshna Chinappa to win the title last year in Johor.
Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar, meanwhile, are just one win away from successfully defending their men’s doubles crown after overcoming Hong Kong China’s Wong Chi Him and Tang Ming Hong 2-0 (11-5, 11-9) in the semis.
Their bid to win back-to-back titles, however, will be challenged by Pakistan’s Noor Zaman and Nasir Iqbal in the final.
The match will see the India vs Pakistan squash rivalry take centre stage, this time with a title at stake.
Adding an extra edge to the high-stakes clash will be a bit of shared history between Indian star Abhay Singh and Pakistan’s Noor Zaman.
Abhay Singh famously came from behind to beat Zaman in the deciding tie of the men’s team gold medal match at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Trailing 2-1 with the gold slipping away, Abhay mounted a miraculous comeback to beat Zaman 3-2 after saving two championship points. The thrilling last-gasp victory, snatched away from the jaws of defeat, famously helped India beat arch-rivals Pakistan to win the gold medal.
When the two squash players had met earlier in the pool stage in Hangzhou, Zaman had overwhelmed Abhay 3-1 to help Pakistan win.
