News

Squash has been officially confirmed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to be included in the sports programme of the LA28 Olympic Games. This historic decision provides world-class squash players with the unparalleled opportunity to showcase their skills and sportsmanship on the grandest sporting stage.

Expressing his overwhelming joy, Mr. David Mui, MH JP, President of the Asian Squash Federation stated, “The inclusion of squash in the LA28 Olympic Games is fantastic news for the entire squash community. We firmly believe that this will further promote squash and inspire more individuals to participate and support the sport. On behalf of the Asian squash Federation, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the IOC and LA28OCOG for their unwavering support and recognition. We also extend appreciation to all the parties involved, whose dedicated efforts and contributions have turned this dream into reality.”

Dear member nations,

It’s my great pleasure to inform you that squash has been selected by LA28 OCOG for proposal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to be included in the LA28 Olympic Games!

To echo the joint statement announced by World Squash Federation (WSF), US Squash and the Professional Squash Association (PSA), Asian Squash Federation also shows our support and welcomes the decision by the LA28 Organising Committee to recommend squash for inclusion in the LA2028 Olympic sports programme. This decision marks a momentous and thrilling milestone in the history of squash.

We greatly appreciate the continuous effort and hard work of all parties involved to ensure that squash would have a best chance to be included in the LA2028 Olympic Games. My sincere gratitude would also go to LA28OCOG for their support and recommendation.

Let’s hope for a favourable outcome from the imminent IOC Session in Mumbai on Monday, October 16.

Regards,

David MUI, MH, JP

President

Asian Squash Federation

Please click here to read the announcement made by LA28 regarding the proposed new sports.

On a thrilling final day of squash at the 19th Asian Games, Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam and Eain Yow Ng captured the two singles golds, while Indian duo Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Harinder Sandhu won gold in the first ever Asian Games mixed doubles event.

In a tense and emotionally charged women’s final, Malaysia’s Subramaniam edged out Hong Kong, China’s Sin Yuk Chan in a five-game thriller that either player could have won.

The pair met earlier this year in the final of the Asian Championship, with Chan getting the better of Subramaniam in five games.

Today, though, it was revenge for the Malaysian, whose victory at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre underlines her return to form after recovering from a serious traffic accident last year.

3/4 seed Chan spoke before the match about how her best shot at the title was with her attacking weaponry and she more than lived up to her word, frequently disrupting the Malaysian with fantastic work at the front of the court.

After Chan took the first game 11-8, Subramaniam dragged herself level with a 15-13 game two win.

The third game went to a tie-break, too, as Chan regained her lead with a 12-10 victory only for Subramaniam to level again with an 11-9 win in game four to force a fifth game.

In an epic final encounter, it was Chan who made the first move towards the title, with the 21-year-old moving into an 8-5 lead.

Subramaniam, however, dug in incredibly in a frenetic conclusion, reeling in Chan’s lead to earn championship ball at 10-9.

Chan recovered from the onslaught well and saved championship ball to force yet another tie-break, but could not capitalise as Subramaniam clinched Malaysia’s fifth consecutive Asian Games women’s singles title with a 12-10 victory.

“I was flag bearer and now, to win two gold medals, it seems like a movie to me,” Subramaniam – who was also part of the Malaysian women’s team that won gold earlier in the competition – said afterwards.

“I don’t think anyone would have expected me to win two gold medals after the last year-and-a-half. I started playing well only in maybe April or May but before that, I was really struggling. I had a lot of challenges to go through and I cannot believe this at the moment.”

Following Subramaniam’s victory, Malaysian Men’s No.1 Eain Yow Ng then secured Malaysia’s third squash gold of the Games as he came from behind to beat India’s Saurav Ghosal.

Ghosal, who beat Ng in the team event at this year’s Games, made the stronger start as he recovered from going 1-6 down to winning game one 11-9 in what looked to be an ominous sign for the Malaysian.

Despite the seemingly demoralising turn of momentum against him, Ng’s head did not drop and he levelled with an 11-9 win of his own before pulling ahead with a comfortable 11-5 win in game three.

Towards the end of game three, there seemed to be an air of inevitability about the conclusion, with Ng finding it increasingly comfortable to hold off a tiring Ghosal’s attacks.

Sure enough, this pattern continued in the fourth game, and the 25-year-old was able to bring the contest to a close and earn the gold with an 11-7 win.

Afterwards, Ng said: “It’s huge!

“What a way to do it. I’m just soaking it in at the moment… at times, it just felt like there was no way we could win a point. Everyone was just picking everything up.

“All credit to Saurav. What a legend. If you watch him over the last two weeks he has played unbelievably.”

Despite that defeat for Ghosal, his second in the individuals final following a 2014 loss to Kuwait’s Abdullah Almezayen, the 37-year-old will take consolation from his team gold medal earned earlier this week and by the gold medal won by his compatriots Pallikal Karthik and Sandhu.

That win for the Indian pairing, which came against Aifa Azman and Mohd Syafiq Kamal to prevent a Malaysian clean sweep on the day, will go down in squash history with mixed doubles squash making its Asian Games debut this year.

Top seeds Pallikal Karthik and Kamal were tested severely by the No.2 seeds in a thrilling contest, which was played at a hectic and crowd-pleasing pace.

The Indian pairing – as they did in their quarter-final and semi-final – made a slow start to the final, with Azman’s attacking instincts and Kamal’s coverage combining well as the Malaysians earned three game balls at 10-8.

Pallikal Karthik and Sandhu, however, clung on brilliantly to save the first two to level and then converted the sudden death game ball at 10-10 to take a vital 1-0 lead.

In a see-saw second game, the Indian pair were once again pushed to the brink by the Malaysians.

The contest looked effectively over when Pallikal Karthik and Sandhu went 6-1 up, only for a tremendous rearguard action by Azman and Kamal to earn the No.2 seeds game balls at 10-9.

Yet again, however, the Indian pair held firm, drawing level before Sandhu fired the ball into the corridor of uncertainty in the middle of the court, which both Azman and Kamal left, to the roars of the Indian bench.

“My mum was crying, my husband, my sister and my best friend – they were all watching together. I think the whole family was… I’m just happy to be going back with a gold,” Pallikal Karthik said afterwards.

Sandhu added: “I was playing for [Pallikal Karthik], nothing for me. I just wanted to make sure I do as much as I can for her on court.

“She just kept backing me. I was like a kid in school when you’re not doing well and the teacher is constantly behind you. I played like that on court!”

Result: 19th Asian Games Women’s Individual Championship, Final
[3/4] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [3/4] Sin Yuk Chan (HKG) 3-2: 8-11, 15-13, 10-12, 11-9, 12-10 (64m)

Result: 19th Asian Games Men’s Individual Championship, Final
[1] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt [2] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 (72m)

Result: 19th Asian Games Mixed Doubles Championship, Final
[1] Dipika Pallikal Karthik & Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) bt [2] Aifa Azman & Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) 2-0: 11-10, 11-10 (34m)

Medal Winners: 19th Asian Games

The top two seeds in the women’s singles draw at the 19th Asian Games crashed out in the semi-finals as Sivasangari Subramaniam and Sin Yuk Chan upset the seedings to reach the final, while in the men’s draw top seeds Eain Yow Ng and Saurav Ghosal clinched their places in the gold medal match with 3-1 and 3-0 wins.

In the mixed doubles, which is making its Asian Games debut in Hangzhou, Indian top seeds Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Harinder Sandhu, and Malaysian No.2 seeds Aifa Azman and Mohd Syafiq Kamal fought back from a game down in their matches to make the final.

Despite being seeded lower than No.1 seed Satomi Watanabe, Malaysian 3/4 seed Subramaniam will have drawn confidence from her dominant 9-1 record against the Japanese star going into the match.

Subramaniam, who now looks back to her very best following a lengthy spell on the sidelines last season, was a cut above Watanabe throughout their 30-minute encounter, with the 24-year-old dominant in the centre as she frequently pinned Watanabe to the back on her way to an 11-8, 11-8, 11-4 win.

Despite the defeat, Watanabe will take consolation from her bronze medal, the first ever individual medal won by a Japanese squash player at the Asian Games.

“I just tried to focus on my game and I did really well to be winning in three. I thought I did well with that and just happy to be in another final tomorrow,” Subramaniam said afterwards.

Subramaniam will face fellow 3/4 seed Chan in tomorrow’s final after the 21-year-old beat Hong Kong, China compatriot and No.2 seed Tomato Ho in straight games, with Chan consistently beating the struggling Ho at the front of the court with an impressive attacking display.

Afterwards, Chan said: “It feels fantastic. This is my first Asian Games and it’s really great to be in the final.

“Playing against teammates is always tough because we all get nervous, but I handled the pressure well.”

In the men’s semi-finals, the top two seeds were able to secure their place in the final, though Malaysia’s Ng was forced to do things the hard way by Abdulla Al Tamimi of Qatar.

The 3/4 seed edged a tight first game 12-10 before the No.1 seed hit back with an 11-7 win in game two.

Al Tamimi, who wowed the crowd with his typically exciting winners as well as some excellent retrieving, looked to be moving into the lead again when he went 9-6 up in game three, but could not push on, with Ng going on a scoring run to take the game 11-9 before clinching the match with a comfortable 11-5 win in game four.

Like Watanabe, Al Tamimi will likely take solace from making national sporting history, with the Qatari going home having earned his country’s first ever Asian Games squash medal.

Afterwards, Ng said: “I changed my mindset today and was really just enjoying some good squash! A few times I hit the widest crosscourt in the world and he was still getting it and all I could do was smile at how good it was.

“I just want to enjoy the occasion, the atmosphere and show everyone what I can do.”

Ng will take on 2014 silver medalist and three-time bronze medalist Ghosal in tomorrow’s final after the Indian No.1, playing in his sixth Asian Games, swept aside 5/8 seed Henry Leung of Hong Kong, China in straight games.

“It took me a while to get over [the 2014 final defeat]” Ghosal admitted afterwards. He added: “I am just grateful that I have the opportunity to come back and play another final.”

The mixed doubles final, meanwhile, will feature the top seeds, though both were forced to do things the hard way in pulsating semi-final matches.

Indian duo Pallikal Karthik and Sandhu, who won the  “Exciting Hangzhou” KINME Cup Asian Squash Mixed Doubles Tournament here earlier this year, struggled in their first game against No.6 seeds Ka Yi Lee and Chi Him Wong, who took the first game 11-7.

As they did in their quarter-final comeback win against Philippines, the top seeds soon found the perfect response, with the pair finding gaps in the Hong Kong, China defences as they drew level with an 11-7 win of their own in game two before squeezing home with an 11-9 win in game three.

“I am just happy that I get to have my twins watch me play and hopefully we both can do it tomorrow,” Pallikal Karthik said afterwards.

Malaysian duo Aifa Azman and Mohd Syafiq Kamal, meanwhile, also fought their way back. After dropping the first game 11-7 to India’s Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh, the No.2 seeded Malaysian duo came roaring back with an 11-2 win in game two.

Singh and Singh appeared to have one foot in the final when they went 9-6 up in game three, but Azman and Kamal gathered themselves spectacularly, hurtling around the court and pouncing on errors from 15-year-old Anahat Singh to score four points in rapid succession and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

“[At 6-9 down] we said ‘if they want to take a point, they’ll have to kill us.’ We weren’t going to give them easy points!” Kamal reflected.

The finals in the mixed doubles and singles events take place tomorrow, October 05.

Play begins at 14:00 (GMT+8) at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre with the mixed doubles final. In the singles competitions, the women’s final takes place at 16:00, with the men’s final following at 17:00.

Click here to view detailed results from the semi-finals of the doubles and singles competitions at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Keep up with the results and schedule on the official tournament website. Find out more about the Hangzhou Asian Games at asiansquash.org and at worldsquash.org.

Results: 19th Asian Games Women’s Individual Championship, Semi-Finals
[3/4] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [1] Satomi Watanabe (JPN) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8, 11-4 (30m)
[3/4] Sin Yuk Chan (HKG) bt [2] Tomato Ho (HKG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-8 (26m)

Results: 19th Asian Games Men’s Individual Championship, Semi-Finals
[1] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) bt [3/4] Abdulla Al Tamimi (QAT) 3-1: 10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5 (52m)
[2] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt [5/8] Henry Leung (HKG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-1, 11-6 (32m)

Results: 19th Asian Games Mixed Doubles Championship, Semi-Finals
[1] Dipika Pallika Karthik & Harinder Sandhu (IND) bt [6] Ka Yi Lee & Chi Him Wong (HKG) 2-1: 7-11, 11-7, 11-9 (39m)
[2] Aifa Azman & Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) bt [4] Anahat Singh & Abhay Singh (IND) 2-1: 8-11, 11-2, 11-9 (38m)

Draw: 19th Asian Games Women’s Individual Championship, Final
[3/4] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v [3/4] Sin Yuk Chan (HKG)

Draw: 19th Asian Games Men’s Individual Championship, Final
[1] Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v [2] Saurav Ghosal (IND)

Draw: 19th Asian Games Mixed Doubles Championship, Final
[1] Dipika Pallika Karthik & Harinder Sandhu (IND) v [2] Aifa Azman & Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS)

The mixed doubles and singles squash semi-finalists of the 19th Asian Games have been confirmed after an entertaining day at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre.

In the mixed doubles, which is making its Asian Games debut, top seeded Indian duo Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Harinder Sandhu survived a scare when they fought back to beat Philippines’ Jemyca Aribado and Robert Garcia.

Aribado and Garcia, seeded seventh, deservedly took the first game, with the pair well organised and covering each other effectively in an 11-7 win.

Pallikal Karthik – reigning mixed doubles world champion – and Sandhu quickly reset, though, with the Indian duo finding their rhythm as they flipped the match with 11-5 and 11-4 wins.

“Myself and Hari know each other well and, even without saying many words, we understand each other, which is a good thing. We try to pump each other up and remind each other to have fun on court because that’s when we play our best,” Pallikal Karthik said afterwards.

Pallikal Karthik and Sandhu will face Hong Kong, China duo Ka Yi Lee and Chi Him Wong after the No.6 seeds beat compatriots and No.5 seeds Tsz-Wing Tong & Ming Hong Tang 2-0.

The other semi-final also features Indian representation, with No.4 seeds Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh coming through a tricky encounter with Republic of Korean No.11 seeds Yeongsoo Yang and Dongjin Lee to earn a semi-final against Malaysian No.2 seeds Aifa Azman and Syafiq Kamal, who beat Republic of Korean No.9 seeds Hwayeong Eum and JaeJin Yoo 2-0.

In the singles events, Hong Kong’s Henry Leung came through a battling encounter as he upset compatriot and 3/4 seed Tsz Kwan Lau in straight games.

Leung and Lau went into the contest plenty familiar with each other and seemingly evenly matched, having met six times in recent seasons, winning three apiece.

Yesterday, though, it was Leung who had the upper hand, with the 28-year-old getting the better of Lau in straight games, with the final game a tense 12-10 win.

Leung will take on No.2 seed and 2014 runner up Saurav Ghosal in the semi-final after the Indian No.1, who also won a bronze medal in 2018, 2010 and 2006, beat Japan’s 5/8 seed Ryunosuke Tsukue in straight games.

The other men’s semi-final will be contested by top seed Eain Yow Ng of Malaysia, who recovered from a difficult start to beat 2014 winner and 9/16 seed Abdullah Almezayen of Kuwait, and Qatari 3/4 seed Abdulla Al Tamimi, who comfortably overcame Malaysia’s 5/8 seed Addeen Idrakie.

In the women’s draw, play went to seedings, with top seed Satomi Watanabe becoming the first ever Japanese player to reach the semi-final thanks to an 11-5, 11-6, 14-12 win over India’s Tanvi Khanna.

Watanabe faces 3/4 seed Sivasangari Subramaniam in what could be an Asian Games classic today. Despite her lower seeding, the Malaysian goes into the match with a 9-1 head-to-head record against Watanabe, something the Japanese No.1 will no doubt be desperate to rectify on the grandest of stages today.

The other semi-final will be an all Hong Kong, China clash, with No.2 seed Tomato Ho going up against Sin Yuk Chan, with the pair recording comfortable victories over Japan’s Akari Midorikawa and Malaysia’s Aira Azman, respectively.

Today, October 04, sees the semi-finals of both the singles and mixed doubles events take place.

Play begins at 12:00 (GMT+8) at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre with the mixed doubles semi-finals, with the singles semi-finals beginning from 15:00.

Click here to view detailed results from the quarter-finals of the doubles and singles competitions at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Keep up with the results and schedule on the official tournament website. Find out more about the Hangzhou Asian Games at asiansquash.org and at worldsquash.org.

2014 Asian Games champion Abdullah Almezayen rolled back the years in the men’s singles draw of the 19th Asian Games with a gritty performance as he overcame 5/8 seed Muhammad Asim Khan, while Republic of Korea’s Mingyeong Heo continued her nation’s fine form to beat 2018 bronze medal winner and 5/8 seed Joshna Chinappa in the women’s event.

Meanwhile, the pools stage of the mixed doubles event – which is making its Asian Games debut this year in Hangzhou – resumed and is set for an exciting conclusion tomorrow.

Just days ago, Kuwait’s Almezayen – who spectacularly captured the 2014 title as the 5/8 seed – had lost out to Pakistan’s Khan in the men’s team event here in Hangzhou.

Today, though, the 35-year-old had his revenge in a match in which momentum swung dramatically from player to player.

After taking the first game 11-4, Almezayen was brutally knocked back by an 11-1 Khan win in game two. The shot-making Kuwaiti reclaimed his lead with an 11-8 win in the third game, only to be pegged back once again by the same scoreline.

In the fifth game, though, the 9/16 seed was able to break Khan’s resistance, speeding away from 3-3 to 9-3 up before clinching the decider 11-4.

Almezayen will play top seed Eain Yow Ng in the quarter-final tomorrow after the Malaysian comfortably beat Qatar’s Syed Amjad.

“This is such a big tournament, representing Kuwait. I think my age is not too old to win this tournament!” Almezayen said afterwards.

Hangzhou was also treated to an upset in the women’s draw, with Heo dispatching Chinappa in a tight contest.

Heo, 27, is playing her first Asian Games but looked assured throughout her 37-minute contest with Chinappa, keeping her cool and limiting mistakes to take the match 11-4, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8.

After the match, Heo said: “I didn’t even think about [the seedings] but I’m so happy that I won and am looking forward Ito tomorrow as well. I’ll play with confidence!”

Elsewhere, the singles draw went according to seedings, with Japan’s Satomi Watanabe, top seed in the women’s draw, easing into the quarter-final with a 3-0 win over Heo’s compatriot Jihyun Lee.

In the mixed doubles event, there were a number of comeback victories, with Philippines, Republic of Korea and Thailand all battling back from a game down to beat Sri Lanka, Japan and Nepal, respectively.

That win for Republic of Korea leaves the race for qualification in Pool A open, with India’s top seeded pairing of Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Harinder Sandhu – who did not play today – top with two wins, with Japan and Republic of Korea on one win, and Pakistan without a win.

Republic of Korea face Pakistan tomorrow, while Japan take on India.

Meanwhile, Malaysia and Sri Lanka top Pool B, with Hong Kong, China’s two teams topping Pools C and D.

Tomorrow, October 03, sees the mixed doubles pools stage conclude at the quarter-finals take place, while the singles quarter-finals will also be played.

Play begins at 11:00 (GMT+8) with the last mixed doubles pools stage matches, with the mixed doubles quarter-finals getting underway at 17:00.

The quarter-finals of the singles quarter-finals take place from 16:00.

Click here to view detailed results from day two of the doubles and singles competitions at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Keep up with the results and schedule on the official tournament website. Find out more about the Hangzhou Asian Games at asiansquash.org and at worldsquash.org.

Rank outsiders and No.11 seeds Republic of Korea put in a superb defensive performance against No.3 seeds Malaysia as mixed doubles squash made its Asian Games debut, while the singles competition also got underway in Hangzhou.

The mixed doubles tournament, the first doubles event of any kind to be played at the Asian Games, is being hosted by three spectacular all-glass courts at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre and began with a bang worthy of the magnificent venue when, in the second match of the day, Republic of Korea’s first team of Yeongsoo Yang and Dongjun Lee sent shockwaves through the tournament.

The duo, seeded 11th, went one game down to Malaysia’s second team of Rachel Arnold and Ivan Yuen but levelled with a carefully-managed 11-8 win in game two.

In a tense third game, more history was made when Arnold and Yuen saved game ball at 9-10 down to force the first ever sudden death tie break at the Asian Games.

In an intense final rally, Yang and Lee were indomitable, making last gasp recoveries time and again before Lee was able to blast the ball beyond a disoriented Yuen, whose desperate lunge towards the back after momentarily losing track of the ball fell short, to the roars of the Republic of Korean bench.

Afterwards, Yang said: “At 10-10 it was tense and we had to stay calm. I feel so great because we were able to finish it really well.”

Lee added: “I just told myself ‘no mistakes!’ This win gives us confidence for our next match.”

The pair then followed up this win with a straightforward victory over Nepal’s second team to top Pool C.

Despite the defeat, there was consolation for Malaysia, with Arnold and Yuen recovering to comfortably beat Thailand’s first team in the afternoon.

Malaysia’s first team, comprised of Mohd Syafiq Kamal and women’s team champion Aifa Azman, fared better.

The duo, seeded second, entered squash’s record books as the first players to win an Asian Games doubles match after overcoming a well-drilled China team of Dongjin Li and Zhitao Zhou – the first squash players to represent the hosts this year with China not entering the team or singles championships – in the morning and then beating Sri Lanka in the afternoon.

India, meanwhile, got their title bid off to a strong start with wins for their first team, top seeds Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Harinder Sandhu, against Philippines’ second team and Pakistan’s first team, while their second team, No.4 seeds Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh, beat Republic of Korea’s second team and Pakistan’s second team.

The singles event, which began in the round of 32, featured 14 matches across both draws as the majority of the players inside the top 16 seeds received byes.

Play largely went to seedings, with all but two of the matches decided in three games.

In the most competitive match of the day, Kuwait’s [9/16] Ammar Al Tamimi came back from a game down to eventually triumph 3-2 against Republic of Korea’s Minwoo Lee, while there was also a comeback win for Pakistan’s [5/8] seed Muhammad Asim Khan as he overcame Singapore’s Aaron Liang 3-1.

In a minor seedings upset, Republic of Korean junior Joo Young Na beat [9/16] seed Marcus Phua of Singapore in straight games.

The singles and mixed doubles events resume today, October 02, with play beginning at 11:00 (GMT+8).

Click here to view detailed results from day one of the doubles and singles competitions at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Keep up with the results and schedule on the official tournament website. Find out more about the Hangzhou Asian Games at asiansquash.org and at worldsquash.org.

India came back from the brink to win their second men’s title and Malaysia won their third women’s title as the team squash events concluded at the 19th Asian Games.

In one of the Asian Games’ greatest ever finals, top seeds India recovered from being two championship balls down as they overcame Pakistan and avenged their pools stage defeat.

That defeat to their rivals seemed to spur the top seeds on today as they edged past a Pakistan team that has played well above their No.4 seeding at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre.

Pakistan made an ideal start to the tie when their third string Nasir Iqbal comfortably saw off Mahesh Mangaonkar – one of three players in the India team who played in the 2014 title-winning side – 11-8, 11-3, 11-2 in 29 minutes.

Indian first string Saurav Ghosal, playing in his sixth Asian Games, rapidly chalked off the deficit with a 3-0 win of his own against Muhammad Asim Khan to take the tie into a third match.

In a riveting encounter, played in a bear-pit atmosphere of partisan India and Pakistan fans, second strings Abhay Singh and Noor Zaman played out a thriller that went to the wire.

Zaman was on top for much of the clash, with the 19-year-old powerful around the court as he recovered from dropping the first game with two fiercely contested wins to move into a 2-1 lead.

The 2023 Asian Junior Team Champion came close to sealing the win in game four when he went 9-7 up, but was pegged back by tremendous resistance from Singh, who took four consecutive points to level the deciding match and take the contest into a fifth game.

Once more Zaman looked like he had done enough, earning two championship balls at 10-8.

Singh, however, rallied incredibly, covering every inch of the court to keep the ball alive as he once more went on a scoring run, taking four consecutive points yet again to force a tie break and then take the match 12-10 to complete a remarkable comeback.

Afterwards, Singh said: “If this the last Asian Games for any of [Saurav Ghosal, Mahesh Mangaonkar, Harinder Sandhu], this one is for them. This one is for the three boys who came back.

“I have to do something for them, for all the sacrifices they have put in to be here, to send them out in a good way.

“It’s for them but most importantly for my country.”

The day’s first final pitched women’s defending champions and top seeds Hong Kong, China against No.2 seeds and two-time winners Malaysia.

In a tense opening match between third strings Tsz-Wing Tong and Rachel Arnold, it was Tong who was able to put her side into the lead, with the World No.41 coming from behind to take down the World No.32.

Luckily for Malaysia, first string Sivasangari Subramaniam – who returned to squash earlier this year following a serious traffic accident in 2022 – was in devastating form. The hard-hitting 24-year-old, part of the Malaysia team that crashed out in the semi-finals last time, quickly restored parity with an efficient 3-0 win over Tomato Ho.

In an exciting third match it was 21-year-old second string Aifa Azman, who like Subramaniam missed out in Jakarta 2018, who proved the hero for Malaysia.

The World No.23 made a quick start to the final match as she raced into a 2-0 lead.

Azman came agonisingly close to finishing it in three games, but could not convert championship ball at 11-10 as Sin Yuk Chan clung on to force another game with a 13-11 win.

The Malaysian, though, came back furiously in game four as she blasted her way into a 7-1 lead. Although Chan began to chip away and even saved one more championship ball at 10-7, Azman’s lead proved to be enough as she edged over the line 11-8 to return the gold to Malaysian hands.

Afterwards, Azman said: “I’ve never played a deciding match before in my entire life, I think – I was surprised I wasn’t nervous when I went inside.

“Today, I knew how to handle the pressure and I went inside with a really good game plan.”

The singles and mixed doubles events begin tomorrow, October 01.

Keep up with the results and schedule on the official tournament website. Find out more about the Hangzhou Asian Games as asiansquash.org and at worldsquash.org

Result: 19th Asian Games Women’s Team Championship, Final
[2] Malaysia 2-1 [1] Hong Kong, China
Rachel Arnold lost to Tsz-Wing Tong 2-3: 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 8-11, 6-11 (57m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam bt Tomato Ho 3-0: 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 (26m)
Aifa Azman bt Sin Yuk Chan 3-1: 11-5, 11-8, 11-13, 11-8 (36m)

Result: 19th Asian Games Men’s Team Championship, Final
[1] India 2-1 [4] Pakistan
Mahesh Mangaonkar lost to Nasir Iqbal 0-3: 8-11, 3-11, 2-11 (29m)
Saurav Ghosal bt Muhammad Asim Khan 3-0: 11-5, 11-1, 11-3 (30m)
Abhay Singh bt Noor Zaman 3-2: 11-7, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10 (65m)

Final Standings: 19th Asian Games Women’s Team Championship
Gold: [2] Malaysia
Silver: [1] Hong Kong, China
Bronze: [3] India & [5] Republic of Korea

Final Standings: 19th Asian Games Men’s Team Championship
Gold: [1] India
Silver: [4] Pakistan
Bronze: [3] Hong Kong, China & [2] Malaysia

Pakistan’s brilliant form at the 19th Asian Games continued yesterday as they took down No.3 seeds Hong Kong, China to reach the men’s team squash final for the first time in 13 years, where they will face rivals India after the top seeds downed defending champions Malaysia.

Pakistan will take on fierce rivals India today, with the top seeds no doubt eager to settle the score after a disappointing defeat to Pakistan earlier this week.

India’s Abhay Singh, up against Malaysia’s Addeen Idrakie – who was rested by Malaysia yesterday – played his best squash of the tournament so far to give the top seeds a morale-boosting lead with a 3-1 win.

Indian No.1 Saurav Ghosal then followed this up with a high-octane 3-1 win over Eain Yow Ng to send India into the final for the first time since he helped his team to the 2014 title.

Afterwards, Ghosal commented on a second clash with Pakistan this week: “We probably didn’t play as well as we possibly can as a team, but that takes nothing away from [Pakistan].

“You have to give Pakistan credit for the way they have played this entire week. They’ve been very good and won all their matches. They are flying high and playing really well.”

In the women’s event, play went to seedings, though it was far from smooth sailing for top seeds and defending champions Hong Kong, China in their tie against No.3 seeds India.

The favourites – both in seeding and with the Hangzhou crowd – got off to a perfect start when Sin Yuk Chan dispatched Tanvi Khanna in just 20 minutes and looked to be on their way to a comfortable win when their No.1 Tomato Ho took the first game against Joshna Chinappa.

The 37-year-old, however, had other ideas. Chinappa, playing in her sixth Asian Games, began to pick off Ho’s attacks and then, as confidence drained from the World No.24, pressed on to level the tie with a 3-2 win.

This put the tie in the hands of 29-year-old Ka Yi Lee and 15-year-old Anahat Singh.

To the joy of the crowd, Lee’s experience seemed to prove the difference, with the fourth string, playing ahead of Tsz-Wing Tong today, hitting her targets well as she went 2-0 and 10-2 up.

Incredibly, Singh saved those eight match balls to force a tie break, but was unable to push on, with Lee eventually seeing out the last game 12-10.

“[The crowd] is great. The applause and cheers are big and it gives me a lot of motivation,” Lee said afterwards.

Hong Kong, China will take on old rivals and two-time winners Malaysia tomorrow after the No.2 seeds confidently overcame No.5 seeds Republic of Korea 2-0 after straight-games wins for Aifa Azman and Sivasangari Subramaniam.

“We’re all in a great state of mind; we’re all positive and hope to get the win tomorrow as well,” Subramaniam said afterwards.

The finals of the Hangzhou Asian Games team squash events take place tomorrow, September 30, with play beginning at 13:00 (GMT+8).

The singles and mixed doubles events begin October 01.

Keep up with the results and schedule on the official tournament website. Find out more about the Hangzhou Asian Games as asiansquash.org and at worldsquash.org

Results: 19th Asian Games Women’s Team Championship, Semi-Finals

[1] Hong Kong, China 2-1 [3] India
Sin Yuk Chan bt Tanvi Khanna 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 (22m)
Tomato Ho lost to Joshna Chinappa 2-3: 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 6-11, 8-11 (47m)
Ka Yi Lee bt Anahat Singh 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 12-10 (29m)

[2] Malaysia 2-0 [5] Republic of Korea
Aifa Azman bt Hwayeong Eum 3-0: 11-4, 11-1, 11-8 (20m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam bt Jihyun Lee 2-0: 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 (21m)
Rachel Arnold v Yeongsoo Yang (w/d)

Results: 19th Asian Games Men’s Team Championship, Semi-Finals

[1] India 2-0 [2] Malaysia
Abhay Singh bt Addeen Idrakie 3-1: 11-3, 12-10, 9-11, 11-6 (57m)
Saurav Ghosal bt Eain Yow Ng 3-1: 11-8, 11-6, 10-12, 11-3 (69m)
Mahesh Mangaonkar v Mohd Syafiq Kamal (w/d)

[4] Pakistan 2-1 [3] Hong Kong, China
Noor Zaman bt Henry Leung 3-1: 12-10, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8 (43m)
Muhammad Asim Khan lost to Tsz Kwan Lau 2-3: 11-8, 12-14, 12-10, 4-11, 2-11 (60m)
Nasir Iqbal bt Ming Hong Tang 3-0: 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 (30m)

Draw: 19th Asian Games Women’s Team Championship, Final
[1] Hong Kong, China v [2] Malaysia

Draw: 19th Asian Games Men’s Team Championship, Final
[1] India v [4] Pakistan

Republic of Korea came from behind to beat rivals Japan 2-1 and pip them to the last remaining semi-final spot of the 19th Asian Games women’s team championship, where they join Malaysia, India and Hong Kong, China.

Meanwhile, Pakistan, India, Malaysia and Hong Kong, China qualified for the semi-finals in the men’s event.

The No.5 seeds, whose 2-1 pools stage defeat to Japan five years ago in Jakarta saw Japan progress to the semi-finals at their expense, were tenacious yesterday as they battled back to get their revenge.

Japan’s Satomi Watanabe, top seed in the singles event, was in ruthless form in the first match and quickly earned an 11-4, 11-2, 11-2 win against Mingyeong Heo to give her side the lead.

Japan could not press their advantage, though, with Korea’s Hwayeong Eum firing back with a dominant 11-7, 11-4, 11-3 victory over Risa Sugimoto to leave the tie in the balance.

In an emotionally-charged conclusion, 32-year-old Yeongsoo Yang, a veteran of Korea’s last foray into the semi-finals back in 2014, was able to hold off spirited 18-year-old Akari Midorikawa in an intense 11-5, 6-11, 12-10, 11-6 win in 51 minutes.

Afterwards, Yang said: “Last year, the Asian Games was postponed and I had been preparing for a long time, but as time went on, there was a lot of pressure to do better.

“But that makes the win today feel even better. I feel happier!”

Korea, now guaranteed at least a bronze medal, will take on Malaysia in a bid to reach the final after the No.2 seeds stormed past India 3-0 to top Pool B.

Despite that defeat, India’s three wins from four ties was enough to see them safely into the last four, where they face Hong Kong, China, who qualified for the semi-finals yesterday with four wins from four.

In the men’s event, No.2 seeds Malaysia clinched a morale-boosting win over Hong Kong, China to  top Pool B in the last tie of the day.

Malaysia looked to be cruising when their No.1 Eain Yow Ng confidently overcame Henry Leung in straight games, only for Ming Hong Tang to hit back as he came from behind to beat Ivan Yuen 3-2.

In the final match, Mohammad Syafiq Kamal was able to get his team over the line, with the 27-year-old recovering from a slow start to beat Chi Him Wong 3-1.

Malaysia coach Ajaz Azmat said afterwards: “Syafiq played some of his best squash of the last couple of months today.  This will give him a lot of confidence.

“We’re excited to have both teams top their pools. They’re all playing well and we’re looking forward to the next round.”

Malaysia will take on India in the semi-final after the top seeds cruised past Nepal.

The other semi-final will be contested by Pool B runners up Hong Kong, China and Pool A winners Pakistan, who continued their fine form in Hangzhou with a comfortable win over a dangerous Kuwait team.

The semi-finals of the Hangzhou Asian Games team squash events take place tomorrow, September 29, with play beginning at 11:00 (GMT+8). The finals will be played on September 30.

The singles and mixed doubles events begin October 01.

Click here to view detailed results from day three of the team competitions at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Keep up with the results and schedule on the official tournament website. Find out more about the Hangzhou Asian Games at asiansquash.org and at worldsquash.org.

No.4 seeds Pakistan produced a spectacular performance to shock top seeds India and blow the race to join Malaysia and Hong Kong, China in the semi-finals wide open on the second day of the men’s team event at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Meanwhile, in the women’s event, the pre-tournament favourites continued to impress as Malaysia, India and Hong Kong, China qualified for the last four, where they will be joined by either Japan or Republic of Korea.

With yesterday’s string order 2-3-1, it was up to 19-year-old Noor Zaman to lead out the 2010 champions, with the Peshawar native impressing as he got his side off to a perfect start with a 3-1 win over India’s Abhay Singh.

Indian No.1 Saurav Ghosal, part of title-winning 2014 side, quickly restored parity with a 30-minute 3-0 win against Muhammad Asim Khan.

In a frenetic and tense decisive match that wowed the crowd at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, Nasir Iqbal was able to complete the upset, with the 29-year-old’s grit under pressure helping him to an 11-6, 13-11, 9-11, 11-8 win over Mahesh Mangaonkar.

“It’s a really proud moment for me and my country,” said Pakistan team manager Fahim Gul. He added: “We knew how tough this India side is and they’re playing very good squash. We really prepared ourselves for their level and it’s a very happy moment for me, my country and my boys.”

That win for Pakistan ensures a three-way fight today for the two qualifying positions at the top of Pool A.

The No.4 seeds, who are now top with four wins from four, will take on Kuwait, who are in the hunt for a first semi-final spot since 2014 after winning three of their four ties. India, despite the defeat, are also on three wins and will be looking to record a decisive score against Nepal.

In Pool B, Malaysia and Hong Kong, China qualified for the semi-finals after Malaysia recorded wins over Thailand and Japan, while Hong Kong, China also beat Japan, as well as Philippines.

In the women’s event, Malaysia, India and Hong Kong, China all qualified for the semi-finals after maintaining their unbeaten records. In Pool A, Hong Kong, China beat Republic of Korea 3-0 and then edged past Japan 2-1 in an entertaining encounter to make it four wins from four.

In Pool B, Malaysia and India will go head-to-head for top spot in the pool after both sides comfortably beat beat Macau, China, with India also beating Nepal 3-0.

Japan and Republic of Korea will battle it out for the last qualifying spot remaining today, when the two sides meet in the first tie of the day.

The pools stage of the Hangzhou Asian Games team squash events concludes today, September 28, with play beginning at 12:30 (GMT+8). The semi-finals take place on September 29 and the finals on September 30.

The singles and mixed doubles events begin October 01.

Click here to view detailed results from day two of the team competitions at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Keep up with the results and schedule on the official tournament website. Find out more about the Hangzhou Asian Games as asiansquash.org and at worldsquash.org.

Pre-tournament favourites India and Hong Kong, China made strong starts in China as the first squash events of the 19th Asian Games got underway at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre.

Yesterday marked the first day of the men’s and women’s team competitions, with 20 ties taking place and most teams playing two ties.

In Pool A in the women’s draw, top seeds Hong Kong, China were in imperious form, overpowering Mongolia in the morning and Thailand in the afternoon without a single game dropped.

Meanwhile, in Pool B, No.2 seeds Malaysia recorded comfortable wins over Nepal and Pakistan, while No.3 seeds India also recorded a win over Pakistan in their sole tie of the day.

In the men’s draw, top seeds India impressed in a 3-0 win against Singapore before overcoming a stubborn Qatar side by the same scoreline in Pool A.

In Pool B, No.2 seeds Malaysia eased past Philippines and Republic of Korea, while No.3 seeds Hong Kong, China beat Republic of Korea and Thailand.

In the tie of the day, Kuwait battled back from one match down to defeat Singapore in the men’s event.

No.5 seeds Kuwait looked in trouble when No.9 seeds Singapore took the lead after Marcus Phua saved two match balls to edge a gripping encounter with Mohammad Falah 3-2 in a fifth-game tie-break.

Kuwait, however, responded perfectly.

First, 2014 Asian Games champion Abdullah Almezayen blasted past Samuel Kang in 27 minutes, before Ammar Al Tamimi got his side over the line in an entertaining 11-5, 13-11, 11-7 win over Aaron Liang.

Afterwards, Kuwait team manager Majid Khan said: “That was a great tie, even though we lost the first match.

“Abdullah Almezayen, he’s one of the greatest players in the history of Kuwait and the way he handled the pressure and the way he played was just great. And Ammar, too, he controlled his nerves and he executed according to the plan I gave him.”

Day two of the men’s and women’s team events takes place tomorrow, 27 September, from 10:00 (local, GMT+8).

The singles and mixed doubles events begin October 01.

Click here to view detailed results from day one of the team competitions at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Keep up with the results and schedule on the official tournament website. Find out more about the Hangzhou Asian Games as asiansquash.org and at worldsquash.org.

The Asian Games returns today (26 September) as Men’s and Women’s Teams action begins at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre in Hangzhou, China.

Play begins at 10:00 (local, GMT+8), with a total of 20 ties taking place on day one.

String order today is 3-1-2. Click here for the string order for the week.

In both the men’s and women’s draws, the defending champions are involved in two ties each.

In the women’s draw, 2018 champions and top seeds Hong Kong, China – represented by Tomato Ho, Sin Yuk Chan, Tsz-Wing Tong and Ka Yi Lee – take on Mongolia in the day’s first tie at 10:00 and then Thailand at 16:30.

In the men’s draw, 2018 champions Malaysia – represented by Eain Yow Ng, Ivan Yuen, Addeen Idrakie and Mohammad Syafiq Kamal – play Philippines at 12:30 and Republic of Korea at 19:30.

Men’s top seeds India, meanwhile, face Singapore at 10:00 and Qatar at 19:00.

Click here for the day’s order of play.

Click here to view the squads for the Hangzhou Asian Games.

How to watch Asian Games squash

Action from the Asian Games is being shown by the following broadcasters:

• CCTV in China
• TBS in Japan
• Sony LIV (Sony Sports Network) in India
• MediaCorp Channel 5 and mewatch.sg in Singapore
• MNCTV, RCTI, iNews TV, and Vision+ in Indonesia
• KBS, MBC, SBS, and TV Chosun in the Republic of Korea
• RTM and Astro in Malaysia

Keep up squash at the Hangzhou Asian Games on the official Hangzhou 2022 site, worldsquash.org and at asiansquash.org

The seedings, draws and pools for squash at the 19th Asian Games have been announced.

Squash, which has appeared at every Asian Games since Bangkok 1998, is once again on the calendar in the event’s 19th edition, with the brand-new addition of mixed doubles set to provide even more action for fans to enjoy.

The Hangzhou 2022 squash competitions will take place in the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre between September 26th and October 5th, where spectators will be treated to Men’s and Women’s Singles competitions, the new Mixed Doubles event, as well as both a Women’s and Men’s Team competition.

Speaking ahead of the event, Asian Squash Federation President David Mui said: “What an incredible competition the Hangzhou Asian Games promises to be – especially for the Mixed Doubles, which is included as one of the squash events in the Asian Games for the first time.

“There are plenty of exciting matches to look forward to all the way through the competition and I know that squash fans around the world will be eagerly awaiting the first day of action.

“I wish everyone the best of luck.”

In the Men’s Singles event, 26 players are set to battle it out at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, where Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng is top seed and India’s Saurav Ghosal, runner up in 2014, is seeded second.

Ng, who has been awarded a bye in round one,  could face 9/16 seed Amjad Syed of Qatar in round two, 5/8 seeded Muhammad Asim Khan of Pakistan in the quarter-finals, and 3/4 ranked Abdulla Al-Tamimi of Qatar in the semi-final if the competition were to go to seedings.

In the bottom half of the draw, Ghosal is seeded to play Kuwait’s Ammar Al-Tamimi in the second round, followed by a potential bout against Japanese 5/8 seed Ryunosuke Tsukue in the quarter-finals and Tsz Kwan Lau of Hong Kong, China in the semi-finals.

The Women’s Singles event includes 20 players and sees Japanese player Satomi Watanabe ranked as the No.1 seed. The 24-year-old – who is bidding to become Japan’s first squash player to win an Asian Games gold medal – has been drawn in the same half of the draw as 3/4 seeded Sivasangari Subramaniam of Malaysia, with a potential semi-final bout awaiting should the tournament were to go to seedings.

Elsewhere in the top half of the draw, India’s 5/8 seeds Tanvi Khanna and Joshna Chinappa will be looking to reach the latter stages of the event.

In the bottom half of the draw, No.2 seed Tomato Ho of Hong Kong, China will face Pakistan’s 9/16 seeded Noor Ul Huda in rouond two after both players received byes, before a potential quarter-final bout against 5/8 seeded Akari Midorikawa of Japan.

Ho’s compatriot Chan Sin Yuk, who is 3/4 seeded for the tournament, is another name who will hope to go deep in the event, with the 21-year-old in a round two tie against Macau, China’s Yeung Weng Chi awaiting, followed by a potential last-eight match against Malaysian 5/8 seed Aira Azman.

Elsewhere, the Squash Mixed Doubles event sees 18 pairs of players split into four pools – two groups of four teams and two of five teams – with the top two pairings from each group progressing to the competition’s quarter-finals.

Pool A is topped by No.1 seeds Karthik and Sandhu, with the Indian pairing joined by Japanese duo Sugimoto and Endo, Korean eighth seeds Eum and Yoo, as well as Ali and Zamam from Pakistan.

Pool B is headlined by No.2 seeds Aifa and Syafiq, with the Malaysian duo taking on No.7 seeds Aribado and Garcia, Chinese pairing Li and Zhou, as well as the team of Veera and Mukthar.

In Pool C, Malaysian pairing and No.3 ranked Arnold and Yuen will have to battle past four other pairings to reach the knock-out stages, with No.6 ranked Lee and Wong, Korean pairing Yang and Lee, Thailand’s Ngamprasert and Buranakul, as well as Nepal’s Shrestha and Bhlon standing in their way.

Lastly, Pool D sees five pairings battle it out, with the group including No.4 ranked Indian pairing Singh and Singh, No.5 seeds Tong and Tang, Dalida and Pelino from the Philippines, Pakistan pairing Gul and Zaman, and Thailand’s Prasertratanakul and Arkarahirunya.

In the Women’s Team event, Pool A is headed by No.1 seeds Hong Kong, China, alongside No.4 seeds Japan, Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Mongolia.

Pool B sees No.2 and No.3 seeds Malaysia and India battle it out with Macau, China, as well as Pakistan and Nepal.

Meanwhile, in the Men’s Team event, India have been drawn as the top seeds, competing in Pool A alongside No.4 seeds Pakistan, No.5 ranked Kuwait, Qatar, Singapore and Nepal.

No.2 seeds Malaysia and No.3 ranked Hong Kong, China, will be favourites to progress out of Pool B but will have to overcome the challenges of Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines and Thailand.

Click here for the full player list, draws and schedule for the Asian Games.

Photo: Officals of Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (Squash Event) watch the public draw live, which is conducted by Mr. David Mui, MH JP, ASF President in Hong Kong, China.

The 30th Asian Junior Individual Championships have come to a successful conclusion at Dalian, China yesterday.

The five-day championships have attracted over 220 junior players from 14 member nations to participate.

“I would like to congratulate all the winners and participating nations. My congratulations would also go to Chinese Squash Association and Dalian Squash Association. This is the first time for China to host this prestigious Asian junior event and I'm thrilled to see our junior players showcasing their passion and skills in the 6 all-glass squash courts in Dalian. My thanks would also go to all the officials, referees and volunteers, who made the Championships a successful and wonderful event," said Mr. David Mui MH JP, ASF's President, "Last, but not the least, I want to thank Mr Amos Yuen, the ASF Appointed Technical Delegate for his hard work, as well as the 3 ASF Appointed Referees: Mr. Anthony So (HKG), Mr. Dhiraj Singh (IND) and Ms Miyuki Adachi (JPN)."

Please click here for the full set of draws and results.

Results of 30th Asian Junior Individual Championships 

Boys Under 19

Champion - Joachim Chuah (MAS)

1st Runner-up - Harith Danial (MAS)

2nd Runners-up - Shaurya Bawa (IND) / Seojin Oh (KOR)

Girls Under 19

Champion - Aira Azman (MAS)

1st Runner-up - Sehveetrraa Kumar (MAS)

2nd Runners-up - Tse Yee Lam Toby (HKG) / Pooja Arthi R(IND)

Boys Under 17

Champion - Low Wa Sern (MAS)

1st Runner-up - Jooyoung Na (KOR)

2nd Runners-up - Jeonguk Ryu (KOR) / Abdullah Nawaz (PAK)

Girls Under 17

Champion - Anahat Singh (IND)

1st Runner-up - Kwong Ena (HKG)

2nd Runners-up - Cheung Tsz Ching (HKG) / Whitney Wilson (MAS)

Boys Under 15

Champion - Jayden Oon (MAS)

1st Runner-up - Shunsaku Kariyazono (JPN)

2nd Runners-up - Aryaveer Dewan (IND) / Shu Takahashi (JPN)

Girls Under 15

Champion - Helen Tang (HKG)

1st Runner-up - Harleein Tan (MAS)

2nd Runners-up - Lo Pui Yin Chloe (HKG) / Dakshayani Thangaraja (MAS)

Boys Under 13

Champion - Nauman Khan (PAK)

1st Runner-up - Ahmad Rayyan Khallil (PAK)

2nd Runners-up - Yuen Tsz Long (HKG) / Lokkhesh Wigneswaran (MAS)

Girls Under 13

Champion - Jinoreeka Nigh Manivannan (MAS)

1st Runner-up - Niea Chew (MAS)

2nd Runners-up - Li Ka Man (HKG) / Kayla Choy (SIN)

Asian Squash Federation is happy that Olympic Council of Asia selected squash as one of the sports in the 20^th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.

Mr. David Mui, MH, JP, ASF’s President expressed his sincere appreciation to various parties, who make this happen, “I would like to thank the support of The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Japan Squash Association (JSA) and the ASF’s Patron Mr. N. Ramachandran.” Mr. Mui continued, “For the past few years, Ramy, JSA and I have been persistently lobbying OCA to include squash into the Asian Games. Thus, the successful inclusion of squash into the 2026 Asian Games is great news for us and also for the Asian squash community.”

The 20^th Asian Games will be held 19 September to 4 October 2026 in Japan.

The 22nd Asian Individual Championships, which was concluded in Hong Kong China on Saturday, have attracted 41 men’s players and 37 women’s players from 15 member nations to participate.  After 5-day exciting matches, the first-seed Ng Eain Yow from Malaysia was succeeded in defending his Asian Men's Champion title; while Hong Kong’s Chan Sin Yuk clinched her first Asian Women's Champion title.

“I would like to congratulate Yow and Yuk, who won the 22nd Asian Individual Championships. My congratulation would also go to Squash Association of Hong Kong China, who has hosted an enjoyable and successful event,” said Mr. David Mui MH JP, the ASF’s President.

Mr. Mui was grateful to all the parties, who have been so supportive to the Championships. “I would like to thank the participating members, who sent players to the Championships. My gratitude also goes to all officials, who helped officiate in the Championships.”

“Last, but not the least, my sincere appreciation would like to go to Mr. Choi Young Chyul from Korea, the ASF Technical Delegate. His passion, professionalism and earnestness gave tremendous confidence to different parties at the Championships, which allowed the event to be smoothly run.”

Results of 21st Asian Individual Championships

Men’s Event

Gold – Ng Eain Yow (Malaysia)

Silver – Velavan Senthikumar (India)

Bronze – Leung Chi Hin, Henry (Hong Kong, China) & Ivan Yuen (Malaysia)

Women’s Event

Gold – Chan Sin Yuk (Hong Kong, China)

Silver – Sivasangari Subramaniam (Malaysia)

Bronze – Ho Tze Lok (Hong Kong, China) & Satomi Watanabe (Japan)

We are very delighted to inform you that we have received 18 nominations from 7 countries for 7 categories of the ASF Performance Awards 2022 and 11 nominations from 4 countries for 4 categories of the ASF Coaches Awards this year in total. Thank you very much for the support of the participating member nations. Below are the list of awards recipients this year proposed by the Selection Panel and endorsed by ManCom: -
ASF Performance Awards 2022
1) Dato Alex Lee Award – Outstanding Performance of the Year (Senior) 
 a) Men: Mr Saurav Ghosal (India)
 b) Women: Ms Joshna Chinappa (India)
2) Hassan Musa Award – Outstanding Performance of the Year (Junior)
  a) Boy: Mr Noor Zaman (Pakistan)
  b) Girl: Ms. Aira Azman (Malaysia)
3) ASF Award – Outstanding Team of the Year
  a) Men's Team: Indian Men's Team for Asian Team Championships 2022
  b) Women's Team: Malaysia World Women's Team 2022
4) ASF Development Award – The Most Improved Team of the Year
   Pakistan Junior Squash Team

ASF Coaches Awards 2022
1) Coach of the Year
 Ms Rebecca Chiu (Hong Kong, China) & Mr Baskar Balamurugan (India)
2) Junior Coach of the Year
  Mr Andrew Cross (Malaysia)
3) Development Coach of the Year
  Mr Roger Ngan (Hong Kong, China)
4) Coaches Certificate of Recognition
- Mr. Mohd Faisal Ali (Malaysia)
- Mr. Ryan Pasqual (Malaysia)
- Mr Sanjay Singh Chal (Malaysia)

Congratulations to all the award winners and special thanks to the Selection Panel. The awards will be presented at the forthcoming Asian Individual Championships 2023 held 6 - 10 June at Hong Kong, China

The 21st Asian Junior Team Championships were successfully concluded yesterday in Chennai, India. Pakistan beat India to claim the Junior Men's Team Champion while Malaysia defeated Hong Kong, China and won the Junior Women's Team Champion.

The Championships, which were held 8 - 12 February 2023, have attracted 10 Junior Men's Teams and 8 Junior Women's Team to participate. Mr. David Mui, MH JP, ASF President thanked Squash Rackets Federation of India of hosting a wonderful event, "We are glad to hear that the feedback of the participating teams and officials is great. I would like to thank Mr. Debendranath Sarangi, Chairman of the Organising Committee, for his leadership; and Mr. Cyrus Poncha, Championship Director, and his team for their dedication."

Mr. Mui continues, "My congratulations would go to Pakistan and Malaysia, who won the 21st Asian Junior Men's and Junior Women's Team Championship respectively. I would also like to thank the support of all the participating teams and officials. Last but not the least, my appreciation would also go to Major Maniam, Technial Delegate of the Championships, the 3 ASF's Appointed Referees: Srikanth Seshadri (India), Asif Khan (Pakistan) and Abdullah Arrffan (Singapore),"

Final Team Position:

Junior Men's Team - 1. Pakistan; 2. India; Co-3rd. Korea/Malaysia; 5. Japan; 6. Hong Kong, China; 7. Sri Lanka; 8. Singapore; 9. Kuwait; 10. Chinese Taipei

Junior Women's Team - 1. Malaysia; 2. Hong Kong, China; Co-3rd. India/Japan; 5. Korea; 6. Singapore; 7. Sri Lanka; 8. Chinese Taipei