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Indian squash player Abhay Singh elated 1.4 billion Indians beating Pakistan’s Noor Zaman with scores of 11-7, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9,12-10 in a nerve-wracking squash gold medal match of the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023.
When there was no hope left in the tank for India’s comeback, Abhay stepped up every time to turn the table on its head. The 25-year-old reversed the deficit of 1-2 against Noor in the best of three games to enforce the decider. Though the Pakistani squash player had the opportunity to seal the gold with two match points, Abhay’s lion-hearted efforts helped India pick four points on the trot to snatch the victory from the jaws of defeat.
India not only avenged the group stage defeat against Pakistan in the ongoing Asian Games but also elevated their medal color from bronze (Jakarta, 2018) to gold in the men’s team event.
Let’s know some details about Abhay Singh, the nation's saviour, who has most certainly turned every Indian into a squash fan.
Abhay Singh was born on September 3, 1998, in the Chennai city of Tamil Nadu. He graduated from the Guru Nanak College in Velachery, Chennai. He started with his professional squash training as a kid at the Indian Squash and Triathlon Academy in Chennai right from his U-11 days. Interestingly, the aspiring squash player had to lose 20kg as he grew up in his teenage days, as per an Indian Express report.
Abhay Singh's shot to prominence at global squash
Abhay had a tough and challenging period as a junior squash player. His emergence to the top-level squash is regarded from 2022 onwards. He made giant strides in the Challenger tour events, claiming five titles in 2022 that helped him boost his global rankings.
He entered into the world’s top 100 for the very first time, a massive switch from World No.144 in January 2022 to World No.74 by December of the same calendar year.
The lanky player won Archi Factory Open Lorient (Challenger 5 level), Tuankur Muhriz Trophy (10), Alto Group Pennant Hills NSW Squash Open (3), 4th HCL SRFI Indian Tour - Chennai Leg (10) and 4th HCL SRFI Indian Tour - Jodhpur Leg (10). Abhay was also part of the Indian men’s team which won its first-ever gold medal in the Asian Team Championships in Cheongju, Korea in November 2022.
Apart from the whirlwind show at the international circuit, Abhay Singh clinched his first national title after prevailing against state teammate Velavan Senthilkumar 11-13,11-7, 11-6,11-4 in the final of the 78th senior national squash championships.
Achievements and accolades in 2023
The youngster continued his terrific form in 2023, starting with a win against England’s Ben Coleman in the PSA World Championship qualifiers to book his place in the main event. Abhay Singh was part of India’s four-member team in the 2023 Squash World Cup held in Chennai in June. India lost to Malaysia in the semi-finals and they were knocked out of the event.
In September 2023, Abhay Singh was awarded the PSA Challenger Tour Male Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season. His consistency and perseverance on the court were key for the young lad to earn plaudits from his teammates and supporters around the world.
