Anahat Singh stages remarkable comeback to reach Asian Games final
Indian squash player Anahat Singh produced a dramatic five-game comeback against Japan's Satomi Watanabe on Saturday to reach the women's singles final at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The 18-year-old Indian found herself two games down against the world No. 6 before turning the semifinal around to win 3-2.
Anahat lost the opening two games 9-11 and 11-13 but survived a closely contested third game 12-10. She then took control of the match, winning the fourth 11-6 and dominating the deciding game 11-3.
Final score: 9-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-3.
The result puts Anahat into the Asian Games women's singles gold-medal match and extends what has already been a landmark year in her young career.
How Anahat turned the semifinal around
The match appeared to be moving in Watanabe's direction after the Japanese player edged two competitive opening games.
That left Anahat needing to win three consecutive games against an opponent ranked among the world's best.
The third game became the turning point.
Anahat held on for a 12-10 victory to keep herself in the contest before winning the fourth 11-6.
With momentum firmly shifting, the Indian teenager produced her most decisive game of the match in the fifth, taking it 11-3 to complete the comeback.
Her victory was particularly notable given Watanabe's world No. 6 ranking.
A dominant quarterfinal set up the Watanabe clash
Anahat's semifinal victory followed a commanding performance against fellow Indian Tanvi Khanna in the quarterfinal.
She defeated Khanna in straight games, 11-2, 11-5, 11-3, to advance to the last four.
The semifinal presented a considerably different challenge, with Watanabe forcing Anahat to recover from a 0-2 deficit rather than allowing her to control the match from the start.
That ability to win in contrasting circumstances — first through a dominant straight-games performance and then through a five-game comeback — has been one of the defining features of Anahat's Asian Games singles campaign.
2026 has already been a historic year for Anahat Singh
The Asian Games run comes only two months after Anahat achieved one of the biggest milestones in Indian squash.
In July, she became the first Indian squash player to win the World Junior Squash Championships singles title.
Playing at Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada, Anahat defeated Egypt's Ruqayya Salem 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 in the girls' singles final.
The result surpassed India's previous best performance in the event. Joshna Chinappa had reached the World Junior final in 2005 but finished runner-up.
Anahat's victory also ended a long run of Egyptian dominance in the girls' competition.
For Anahat, the triumph was particularly significant because it came in her final opportunity to win the championship as a junior after several previous attempts had ended in the quarterfinals or semifinals.
From junior world champion to Asian Games finalist
The progression from winning the junior world championship in July to reaching an Asian Games singles final in September provides a clearer indication of where Anahat currently stands.
She is no longer competing solely as one of India's leading junior prospects.
Her results increasingly place her against established senior international players.
Earlier in 2026, Anahat also became the youngest Asian to enter the world's top 20, according to SquashInfo's career records.
Her victory over world No. 6 Watanabe at the Asian Games is another significant result against a higher-ranked senior opponent.
India also has Abhay Singh in the men's final
Anahat was not India's only squash finalist on Saturday.
Abhay Singh also reached the men's singles gold-medal match, defeating Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan in his semifinal.
India therefore enters the final stage of the squash singles competition with players competing for gold in both the men's and women's events.
The mixed doubles combination of Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar also secured a bronze medal, adding to India's strong showing in squash at the Games.
An Olympic dimension to the Asian Games campaign
The significance of the current Asian Games extends beyond medals.
Squash is preparing to make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, making the development of India's leading players particularly important over the next two years.
Anahat's rapid transition from junior champion to competing successfully against elite senior opposition makes her progress especially relevant as Indian squash looks towards Los Angeles.
The Asian Games final, however, remains the immediate challenge.
After recovering from two games down against Watanabe, Anahat now has an opportunity to add an Asian Games singles title to the World Junior crown she won earlier this year.
What happens next?
Anahat will compete in the women's singles final, where the gold medal will be decided.
Her semifinal has already demonstrated the difficulty of the competition: she had to overcome a top-six player after falling two games behind.
A victory in the final would add another major title to an exceptional 2026 season.
Whatever the result, her progression from India's first World Junior champion in July to an Asian Games finalist two months later marks another important step in her transition to senior international squash.
Sources
Akashvani News / News On AIR: Match result and game-by-game score from Anahat Singh's Asian Games semifinal against Satomi Watanabe.
Olympics.com: Asian Games 2026 results and India competition coverage.
Press Information Bureau (PIB): Confirmation of Anahat becoming the first Indian to win the World Junior Squash Championship.
SquashInfo: Career results and ranking milestones.
Additional reporting: PTI and contemporary Asian Games reports.
JantaScope Editorial Note
This report distinguishes Anahat Singh's latest Asian Games achievement from her earlier historic World Junior title. She became the first Indian squash player to win the World Junior Championship in July 2026; her latest achievement is reaching the women's singles final at the 2026 Asian Games after defeating world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe. © 2026 JantaScope. All rights reserved.
