Outclassed Abhay & Anahat take bitter lessons from Malaysian mauling in squash

Malcolm Willstrop, a coaching legend in squash, played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh. After mentoring young players like eight-year-old Andrew Cross, Willstrop helped Malaysia become a junior squash powerhouse. He mentored Sivasangari Subramaniam and Eain Yow Ng, who would later defeat the Singh siblings in the Asian Games singles finals.

Despite being outclassed by their Malaysian rivals, the Singh siblings still managed to bring honor to India. Saurav Ghosal was the only Indian to reach the final of an Asiad singles event before them. In their loss, Abhay displayed fluid movement and confident strokes early on, but Yow's technical finesse and precise volleying proved too much for him.

He saved a game point and won the first game 11-9. However, Abhay's uncharacteristic errors and physical fatigue eventually caught up with him, as Yow sealed the match 11-5, 11-5, 11-5.

Anahat Singh faced a similar fate against Sivasangari Subramaniam. Sivasangari took an early lead and maintained control throughout the match, employing precise shotmaking and exploiting Anahat's missed opportunities. Anahat could only save one backhand point before falling short in the next. She expressed disappointment with her performance, acknowledging the significant gap between the players and the pressure of playing against a top-ranked opponent.

Despite her loss, Anahat remains optimistic about her future, including her aspirations for the Los Angeles Olympics.