Asian Games 2026: Sindhu reaches round of 16, Abhay Singh enters squash final
PV Sindhu reaches badminton round of 16 while Abhay Singh enters squash final at the Asian Games 2026.
India enjoyed a massive day of action at the Asian Games 2026 as badminton icon PV Sindhu moved closer to the podium and squash star Abhay Singh secured his place in the gold medal match.
Sindhu dominates in straight games
In a high-stakes women's singles second-round clash, PV Sindhu showcased her class by defeating Chinese Taipei's Chiu Pin-chian. The Indian star secured a 21-19, 21-14 victory to advance to the round of 16.
The match began with a nail-biting first game where Chiu kept Sindhu under pressure, but the Indian shuttler maintained her composure to clinch the set 21-19. Sindhu took full control in the second game, dominating the rallies to finish the match 21-14. She now faces a daunting task against Japan's world No. 7 Tomoka Miyazaki.
Abhay Singh heads to squash final
In the squash arena, Abhay Singh proved his dominance by booking a spot in the men's singles final. The world No. 26 produced a clinical 3-0 victory over Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan, winning 11-3, 12-10, 11-6.
After a tight second game, Abhay cruised through the third to seal his place in the gold medal match, where he will face either Pakistan's Noor Zaman or Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng.
India's medal haul grows
The Indian contingent celebrated several other successes throughout the day:
- Kabaddi: The women's team clinched gold after a hard-fought 37-34 victory over Iran.
- Squash: Anahat Singh also advanced to the women's singles final after a thrilling 3-2 comeback against Japan's Satomi Watanabe. Meanwhile, Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar secured bronze in mixed doubles.
- Athletics: Sawan Barwal set a national record in the men's marathon, clocking 2:11:37 to win silver.
- Shooting: Ashi Chouksey, Tilottama Sen, and Vidarsa Vinod secured a silver medal in the women's 50m rifle 3P team event.
Mixed results in other disciplines
While Sindhu, Ayush Shetty, and Unnati Hooda progressed in badminton, Lakshya Sen's journey ended following a loss to Singapore's Loh Kean Yew. In boxing, Kapil Pokhariya moved into the men's 90kg quarterfinals after defeating Iran's Sam Estaki.
India also saw strong performances in archery, with the women's recurve team finishing second in qualification, and in canoe sprint, where Parvathy Geetha and Prasanna Kumar reached Final A.