India added two bronze medals to its Asian Games tally on October 1 as both the men's and women's squash teams fell in their semifinals — the men going down 1-2 to Malaysia, and the women losing 1-2 to Hong Kong, China.
The men's semifinal was a rematch-laden affair. Abhay Singh opened the tie against Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng, the man who had beaten him in the individual final just days earlier, and the Malaysian extended his perfect record, winning 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 to put India 0-1 down. Veer Chotrani levelled the tie with a commanding win over Malaysia's Sanjay Jeeva, but the decider slipped away: Velavan Senthilkumar took the opener 12-10 against Malaysia's Chandran, then lost the next three games, including an 11-8 third, as India finished with bronze. The gold-medal match will be contested between Malaysia and Pakistan.
Men fall to Malaysia in decider
For Abhay, the semifinal brought another frustrating chapter against Eain Yow, against whom he had never won in a singles match — the Malaysian holds an 8-0 record over the Indian. Abhay had not dropped a game at the Games before Thursday, but he threw away a three-point advantage in the first game and never recovered. Velavan fought hard in the decider, twice drawing level after falling behind, but Malaysia held its nerve in the closing stages.
Women stopped by Hong Kong
The women's team, meanwhile, went down 1-2 to Hong Kong in its semifinal to take bronze. The result ended India's team campaign in squash with two bronze medals, adding to the individual medals won earlier in the Games.
The bronze double came on a busy day for the Indian contingent, which also saw wrestler Nitesh Siwach win a historic silver in Greco-Roman wrestling, the men's hockey team beat Pakistan 4-3 to reach the final, and the men's cricket team hammer Sri Lanka by 124 runs to set up a gold-medal clash with Pakistan.
Sources: NDTV Sports | Times Now
The men's semifinal was a rematch-laden affair. Abhay Singh opened the tie against Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng, the man who had beaten him in the individual final just days earlier, and the Malaysian extended his perfect record, winning 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 to put India 0-1 down. Veer Chotrani levelled the tie with a commanding win over Malaysia's Sanjay Jeeva, but the decider slipped away: Velavan Senthilkumar took the opener 12-10 against Malaysia's Chandran, then lost the next three games, including an 11-8 third, as India finished with bronze. The gold-medal match will be contested between Malaysia and Pakistan.
Men fall to Malaysia in decider
For Abhay, the semifinal brought another frustrating chapter against Eain Yow, against whom he had never won in a singles match — the Malaysian holds an 8-0 record over the Indian. Abhay had not dropped a game at the Games before Thursday, but he threw away a three-point advantage in the first game and never recovered. Velavan fought hard in the decider, twice drawing level after falling behind, but Malaysia held its nerve in the closing stages.
Women stopped by Hong Kong
The women's team, meanwhile, went down 1-2 to Hong Kong in its semifinal to take bronze. The result ended India's team campaign in squash with two bronze medals, adding to the individual medals won earlier in the Games.
The bronze double came on a busy day for the Indian contingent, which also saw wrestler Nitesh Siwach win a historic silver in Greco-Roman wrestling, the men's hockey team beat Pakistan 4-3 to reach the final, and the men's cricket team hammer Sri Lanka by 124 runs to set up a gold-medal clash with Pakistan.
Sources: NDTV Sports | Times Now
