India’s men’s and women’s squash teams marched into the Asian Games semifinals with convincing quarterfinal victories over Kuwait and Singapore respectively on Wednesday, guaranteeing the country another medal in the team events.The top-seeded Indian men’s team, which is also the defending champion, produced a clinical 2-0 win over Kuwait to book its place in the last four.Asian Games Full Coverage | Schedule | Medal TallyVeer Chotrani was tested by Bader Almogghrebi in the opening singles but held his nerve to secure a 12-10, 8-11, 11-0, 11-5 victory in a 34-minute contest.Abhay Singh then completed the tie for India with an 11-3, 11-4, 11-8 win over Ammar Altamimi. Abhay, India’s highest-ranked player, had earlier claimed silver in the individual competition.The Indian women’s team also secured a 2-0 quarterfinal victory, defeating Singapore to enter the semifinals.Tanvi Khanna got India off to a winning start after overcoming Au Yeong Wai Iynn in a closely fought opening singles match. Tanvi prevailed 11-6, 4-11, 15-13, 11-1 after 32 minutes.Anahat Singh, who won silver in the individual event, then sealed the tie with a commanding 11-7, 11-3, 11-4 victory over Au Yeong Wai Yhann. The 18-year-old needed only 22 minutes to wrap up the match.Veteran Joshna Chinappa, who was part of the Indian pair that won bronze in mixed doubles, did not need to take the court as India completed the straight-match victory.Both Indian teams will now play their respective semifinals on Thursday.The men’s team had entered the knockout stage as one of the tournament’s top contenders, while India had also enjoyed a strong run in the women’s competition. India blanked Iran 3-0 in its final group-stage match on Tuesday after beginning its Pool C campaign with victories over China and Japan.With both teams now assured of medals, India will look to push their campaigns further when the semifinals take place on Thursday.
