Abhay Singh and Veer Chotrani also advanced in the men’s singles, while Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar moved into the mixed doubles quarterfinals.
Anahat, Tanvi set up all-Indian clash
Anahat started her campaign in impressive fashion, beating Singapore’s Wai Iynn Au Yeong 3-0 in just 19 minutes. The Indian won the three games 11-4, 11-5 and 11-7 to make a confident start to her Asian Games campaign.
Tanvi then joined Anahat in the quarterfinals after overcoming Wai Yhann Au Yeong, also from Singapore. The Indian lost the opening game 5-11 but bounced back strongly to win the next three 11-4, 11-5 and 13-11.
The result means Anahat and Tanvi will now meet in the quarterfinals, giving India a guaranteed place in the women’s singles semifinals.
However, unlike the previous edition, reaching the squash singles semifinals does not automatically guarantee a medal. The two losing semifinalists will play a classification match to decide the bronze medal.
Abhay cruises into men’s quarterfinals
Abhay Singh produced a dominant performance against Sri Lanka’s Ravindu Laksiri. He completed a 3-0 victory in 25 minutes, winning 11-5, 11-6 and 11-0.
Abhay will next face local favourite Ryunosuke in the quarterfinals as he looks to continue India’s strong run in the men’s singles competition.
Veer Chotrani, meanwhile, had to work much harder for his place in the last eight. He edged past Malaysia’s Sanjay Jeeva 3-2 in a match that lasted one hour and nine minutes.
After taking the first game 11-9, Veer lost the second 8-11 before regaining the lead with an 11-6 win. Sanjay levelled the contest by taking the fourth game 17-15, but Veer held his nerve to win the decider 11-6.
Veer will now take on Pakistan’s Irfan Muhammad in the quarterfinals.
Joshna-Senthil advance in mixed doubles
Veteran Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar also progressed to the mixed doubles quarterfinals after beating fellow Indians Suraj Chand and Shameena Riaz in the last 16.
The Indian pair won the all-Indian contest in straight games, 11-7 and 11-10, to keep their medal hopes alive.
Joshna and Velavan will face the Philippines’ David Pelino and Jemyca Aribado in the quarterfinals on Friday.
With four singles players and the mixed doubles pair advancing, India will now look to turn their strong start into medals as the squash competition moves into its knockout stage.