Sealing Olympic quota was on mind, says Anahat after securing berth in final

At 18, Anahat Singh has already achieved more firsts in her career than most people do in their entire lives. After becoming India’s first-ever junior World champion, the youngster on Saturday (September 26, 2026) became the first Indian woman to reach the final of the Asian Games, and admitted the Olympic quota was on her mind all through. The winner gets a direct entry to Los Angeles 2028.

Also Read: Asian Games highlights on September 26, 2026

“When I was losing, the first thought in my mind was that I couldn’t let the Olympic spot go by so quickly, and that is something that really motivates me. Coming into this event, a lot was expected. I still have a match left; hopefully I will take it further and gold tomorrow,” Anahat admitted after the win.

Abhay Singh, meanwhile, also confirmed a medal for himself by reaching the final and admitted there were a few points he had to prove and was happy to have done so. “There was a lot of talk before, people saying I have only done well in team events and doubles, so it’s nice to get on the podium in a singles event,” he declared.

The 28-year-old also insisted that it was as important to respect yourself on the court as to respect the opponent to achieve anything. “No one comes to the semifinals of an Asian Games to go down easily. Respect to the kid (Irfan); he’s had some big wins, he’s a dangerous player, you need to respect your opponent. But you also need to give yourself respect. There’s a reason I am seeded second in the draw here. There are times I need to go back to remembering why, and sometimes that helps,” he declared.

Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar were, however, visibly disappointed after an ill-tempered match. “I think it was obvious that we had already won that match and the referee had overturned his decision on a double bounce from the opponents. But it is what it is, things like this happen and as much as it’s very disappointing, I feel very proud with my partner that we played really well, we played with integrity and unfortunately it didn’t go our way,” Joshna admitted.