India's Squash Teams Gear Up for 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya
Squash Events at the Asian Games
Photo: @ians_india/X
New Delhi, Sep 10: The seedings and draws for the singles, mixed doubles, and team squash competitions at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya have been revealed. The Indian men's team has been designated as the top seed, while the women's team is seeded third.
The squash events will be hosted at the Nagoya Kinjo-Futo Arena, with singles and mixed doubles scheduled from September 23-27, followed by team events from September 28 to October 2.
The men's team, featuring Abhay Singh, Veer Chotrani, Velavan Senthilkumar, and Suraj Chand, is placed in Pool A alongside Korea and China.
On the women's side, Anahat Singh, Tanvi Khanna, Joshana Chinappa, and Shameena Riaz will compete in Pool C against Japan, China, and Iran.
In men's singles, Abhay Singh is seeded second, aiming to become the first Indian individual champion, while Veer Manish Chotrani is seeded fourth. Both players will receive a bye in the first round.
For the women's singles, Anahat Singh and Tanvi Khanna are seeded third and seventh, respectively. Anahat will receive a bye in the opening round, while Tanvi will face Dami Kim from Korea.
The singles matches will also act as a qualifier for the LA28 Olympic Games, with winners set to become the first squash Olympians as the sport makes its Olympic debut in Los Angeles.
In mixed doubles, the top seeds are Malaysian duo Aifa Azman and Mohammad Syafiq Kamal, while India's Velavan Senthilkumar and Joshana Chinappa are seeded third. Another Indian pair, Suraj Kumar Chand and Shameena Riaz, are seeded ninth.
Both Indian teams will receive a bye in the first round and will compete against each other in the second round.
India enters the Asian Games following a successful outing at Hangzhou 2023, where the nation secured five medals in squash, including two golds, one silver, and two bronzes.
The men's team clinched gold, and the mixed doubles team also topped the podium. Saurav Ghosal earned a silver in men's singles, while bronze medals were awarded in the women's team and mixed team events.
Harinder Pal Sandhu, a gold medallist from the men's team in Hangzhou, will serve as the coach.
India squad-
Men: Abhay Singh, Veer Chotrani, Velavan Senthilkumar, Suraj Chand
Women: Anahat Singh, Tanvi Khanna, Joshna Chinappa, Shameena Riaz