Malaysia's Squash Teams Face Japan and India in Asian Games Semi-Finals, With Finals on Friday
Both Malaysian squash teams play Asian Games semi-finals today: the women against hosts Japan at 1.30pm and the men against India at 3.30pm.
Malaysia's squash players have already won two golds at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, and both teams have the chance to add more over the next two days. The men's and women's teams play their semi-finals today at Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, and both finals are on Friday.
Both teams are guaranteed at least bronze, because reaching the semi-finals guarantees a medal.
Today's semi-final schedule (Malaysia time)
- Women: Malaysia vs Japan, 1.30pm
- Men: India vs Malaysia, 3.30pm
The other semi-finals are India vs Hong Kong, China in the women's draw and Hong Kong, China vs Pakistan in the men's.
How Malaysia got here
Both teams won their quarter-finals 2-0 on Wednesday.
Men vs Japan: Sanjay Jeeva beat Tomotaka Endo in four games at second string. Ng Eain Yow then beat Ryunosuke Tsukue in straight games to finish the tie. Eain Yow is the reigning Asian Games men's singles champion, having retained his title last weekend and secured a place at the LA28 Olympics.
Women vs Macau, China: Malaysia won 2-0. World Squash said the result moved Malaysia closer to back-to-back team titles, which they last achieved in 2010 and 2014. S. Sivasangari, who defended her singles title in Nagoya, leads the team.
The opponents
Japan (women): The hosts reached the last four by beating South Korea 2-0, with wins from Akari Midorikawa and Satomi Watanabe. Watanabe played in the women's singles semi-finals earlier in the Games.
India (men): India beat Kuwait 2-0 in their quarter-final. Veer Chotrani won a tight opening game against Bader Almoghrebi and went on to win 12-10, 8-11, 11-0, 11-5. Abhay Singh then won in straight games. India's squad is Abhay Singh, Veer Chotrani, Velavan Senthilkumar and Suraj Kumar Chand. Abhay reached the men's singles semi-finals earlier in the Games.
Friday's finals (Malaysia time)
- Women's team final: 12.30pm, Friday 2 October
- Men's team final: 2.30pm, Friday 2 October
Why the team events matter
Malaysia hit their pre-Games target of six golds when Eain Yow and Sivasangari won the singles titles. Squash has also contributed a mixed doubles bronze, won by Ameeshenraj Chandaran and Rachel Arnold.
Malaysia are on six golds, five silvers and 12 bronzes, 11th on the official medal standings. The national record is nine golds from Guangzhou 2010. Gold in both team events on Friday would take Malaysia to eight, one short of that record.
Key takeaways
- Malaysia's women play Japan at 1.30pm and the men play India at 3.30pm today, both Malaysia time.
- Both teams are guaranteed at least bronze after 2-0 quarter-final wins on Wednesday.
- The team finals are on Friday at 12.30pm (women) and 2.30pm (men).
- Two team golds would take Malaysia to eight golds, one short of the national record.
FAQ
Where are the squash events being played? At Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena in Nagoya.
Have Malaysia already won squash medals at these Games? Yes. Ng Eain Yow and S. Sivasangari both won singles gold, and Ameeshenraj Chandaran and Rachel Arnold won mixed doubles bronze.
Does a semi-final defeat still earn a medal? Yes. Both beaten semi-finalists in each team event receive bronze.
Sources: World Squash, Bernama, Malay Mail, Sunday Guardian, Aichi-Nagoya 2026 official results