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India defeated Japan 2-1 in the women's squash team event at the 2026 Asian Games on Monday, with Tanvi Khanna sealing the tie after Anahat Singh's five-game defeat to Satomi Watanabe.
Joshana Chinappa gave India an early lead with an 11-1, 11-8 victory over Japan's Erisa Sano in the opening match. Anahat was then up against Watanabe, who had beaten the Indian in the opening game 11-8. However, Anahat responded strongly, winning the next two games 11-8 and 11-7 to take a 2-1 lead. Watanabe forced a decider by winning the fourth game 11-8 before completing the comeback with an 11-9 victory in the fifth game. Watanabe won the match 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9 to level the tie at 1-1.Tanvi then stepped up against Akari Midorikawa in the deciding match and secured a 12-10, 11-9, 4-11, 12-10 victory to seal India's 2-1 win over Japan. The victory came after India had earlier defeated China 2-1 in their opening women's team event match. Meanwhile, Indian shooter Esha Singh won the silver medal in the women's 25m pistol individual final, while Pincky Balhara and Lovlina Borgohain confirmed medals in kurash and boxing respectively as Indian athletes produced several notable performances at the 2026 Asian Games on Monday. Esha finished second in the women's 25m pistol final after a dramatic series of shoot-offs. She finished with 38 points, level with China's Xiao Jiaruixian, who eventually won gold, while North Korea's Kim Hyon Suk claimed bronze with 34 points. In kurash, Pincky Balhara lost to South Korea's Mo Sumin in the women's -78kg semifinal but secured the bronze medal. Boxer Lovlina Borgohain defeated South Korea's Seong Suyeon in the women's 75kg quarterfinal to confirm a medal. In archery, Chikitha Taniparthi defeated Chinese Taipei's Chen Yi-Hsuan in the women's compound individual round of 16 to enter the quarterfinals. Earlier, she had beaten Bhutan's Dorji Dolma in the round of 32. Jyothi Surekha Vennam, meanwhile, lost to South Korea's Kang Yeonseo in the round of 16. She had earlier defeated Kazakhstan's Adel Zhexenbinova in the round of 32. In tennis, Ankita Raina and Rutuja Bhosale lost to Kazakhstan's Anna Danilina and Yuliya Putintseva in the women's doubles first round. India's men's squash team registered a 3-0 win over China in their pool match, while the women's team also defeated China 3-0. In cricket, India's men's quarterfinal against Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain, with India progressing to the semifinals by virtue of their higher seeding. In shooting, Neeru finished first, while Manisha Keer and Aashima Ahlawat were 21st and 23rd respectively after Day 2 of women's trap qualifying. In men's trap qualifying, Shapath Bharadwaj was fifth, Kynan Chenai 19th and Ahvar Rizvi 32nd. Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Rahi Sarnobat finished fifth in the women's 25m pistol team final and qualified for the individual final. India also recorded a 3-0 win over Hong Kong in men's volleyball. In men's compound archery, Ganesh Mani Ratnam Thirumuru defeated compatriot Sahil Jadhav 149-148 in the round of 16 to enter the quarterfinals, scheduled for October 1. Sahil had earlier beaten Mongolia's Jamiyangombo Purevdorj 149-137 in the round of 32, while Ganesh defeated Indonesia's Sostar Andaru Rinaldi 144-142. In sepaktakraw, India lost 1-2 to Japan in the women's doubles event, with the 11-15, 15-9, 13-15 defeat leaving them bottom of Group B and eliminating them from the competition. In surfing, Sivaraj Babu lost 7.83-11.50 to the Philippines' Alciso Jayuard in the men's shortboard round 3. Kishore Kumar Anbarasu, however, defeated China's Ma Wensong 9.86-8.80 in the same round. (ANI)
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