Ameeshenraj-Rachel claim bronze after heated semi-final loss

NAGOYA: Squash players C. Ameeshenraj and Rachel Arnold secured a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event after a grueling match against Hong Kong's Toby Tse-Lai Cheuk Nam in the semi-finals of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday. The decisive win came when Toby-Cheuk Nam prevailed in a closely contested two-setter 11-10, 11-7 at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena.

Ameeshenraj-Rachel expressed dissatisfaction with several referee decisions during the match, but acknowledged Toby-Cheuk Nam's superior performance on the day. Rachel stated, "I think we didn't really play our best and were probably a bit unlucky in the first set. I am disappointed with today, there are definitely areas we can improve on."

Ameeshenraj added, "We know that on our best day, we are confident of beating any pair in Asia, but unfortunately, it was just one of those days where nothing really went our way." The referee faced a challenging task, as points were often close and sometimes incorrectly called. Ameeshenraj, making his Asiad debut, expressed disappointment at not winning gold for Malaysia.

However, he remains optimistic about future Asian Games, stating, "Getting a medal for Malaysia still means a lot to me, especially on my Asian Games debut." Toby-Cheuk Nam will face Hong Kong's Lee Ka Yi-Tang Ming Hong in the final on Sunday.