Sivasangari, Aira fire Malaysia into Asian Games women’s squash final

NAGoya, Oct 1 — The Malaysian national women's squash team has advanced to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games final after a 2-0 semi-final victory against host nation Japan at Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena. The quartet, consisting of S. Sivasangari, Aira Azman, Aifa Azman, and Rachel Arnold, secured their final berth after winning just two matches.

Sivasangari broke the deadlock with her opening point, defeating world number six Satomi Watanabe 5-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 11-3. Aira sealed the win for Malaysia by defeating Akari Midorikawa in straight sets 11-8, 11-5, 11-3. Sivasangari expressed her happiness after a tough opening match, stating, "I am happy I managed to win that and give the first point to the team."

The final will pit Malaysia against Hong Kong, who defeated India 2-1 in the other semi-final. The match will be a rematch of the 2022 Hangzhou final, where Malaysia won the title and Hong Kong took silver. Sivasangari's goal for the team is to defend the title, but they must manage the pressure and stay focused. She added, "Of course, that's the goal for us, but I think with that, pressure comes in as well.

We're trying to put that away, and try to just focus on how we're going to play on court." Aira expressed satisfaction with her performance against Midorikawa and aims to remain fresh for the final. "Quite satisfied with how I played today. Even though it was a bit tricky for Sivasangari to manage to close it 3-0, I believed in her. I tried to finish in three (sets) as well so that I'll be fresh for tomorrow," Aira said.