The Indian team humbled defending champions Malaysia 2-0 to reach the final of the men’s squash event after the seasoned Saurav Ghosal and Abhay Singh registered identical wins at the Asian Games here on Friday.
India thus set up a marquee gold medal clash with Pakistan, against whom they lost in the pool stage and will seek revenge heading into the final.
Earlier, the Indian women’s squash team signed off with a bronze after going down fighting to Hong Kong in the semi-finals.
Abhay Singh started the proceedings for India, securing a 3-1 win over Muhammad Addeen Idrakie Bin Bahtiar in the opening match. The experienced Ghosal then got the better of Eain Yow NG 3-1 in 69 minutes to wrap up the second semi-final in favour of India.
Among the women, Joshna Chinappa was the only Indian who won her match as she defeated world No. 24 Tze Lok Ho 3-2to level the tie after Tanvi Khanna went down 0-3 to Sin Yuk Chan in the opener.
Playing against an experienced Lee Ka Yi, the 15-year-old Anahat lost 0-3.
Kiran’s bronze
Kiran Baliyan became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal in shot put event in 72 years as she picked up a bronze on the opening day of athletics competition.
The 24-year-old Baliyan hurled the iron ball to a distance of 17.36m in her third attempt for her best effort of the day to open India’s medal account.
Baliyan thus became only the second Indian to win a medal in women’s shot put in Asian Games after Barbara Webster, an Anglo-Indian from then Bombay, won a bronze in the inaugural edition in New Delhi in 1951.
In the men’s 400m race, Muhammed Ajmal qualified for the finals after finishing second in his heat with a time of 45.76 seconds while Muhammed Anas Yahiya failed to make the grade after clocking 46.29 for a third-place finish in his heat.
Batra in quarters
Commonwealth Games gold medallist paddler Manika Batra kept her medal hopes alive after progressing to the women’s singles quarter finals but the men’s team had a mixed day.
Manika defeated Suthasini Sawettabut of Thailand 4-2 (11-7, 6-11, 12-10, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6) and confirmed her place in the quarter.
Manika, a bronze winner in mixed doubles at the Jakarta Asian Games, will face world no. 3 Yidi Wang of China on Saturday.
It is her last chance to win a medal at this Games, as she has already lost in the mixed and women’s team events.
In the men’s round of 16, the Indian duo of Manav Vikash Thakkar and Manush Utpalbhai Shah beat Izaac Quek Yong and Yew En Koen Pang 3-2. However, the other Indian pair of A. Sharath Kamal and G. Sathiyan lost 0-3.
Medal assured
India thrashed lowly Nepal 3-0 in the quarter finals to secure a medal after 37 years in men’s team badminton.
Taking the court first, Lakshya Sen defeated Prince Dahal 21-5, 21-8 before Kidambi Srikanth beat Sunil Joshi 21-4, 21-13 in the second match.
In the third match, Mithun Manjunath edged past Bishnu Katuwal 21-2, 21-17 to clinch the tie. However, the women’s team, led by PV Sindhu, failed to put up a fight against Thailand, going down 0-3 in the quarter finals to crash out.
