NAGOYA: The sprawling Nagoya Port looked stunning in the rain. The droplets and silhouettes of factories with smoke billowing out of tall chimneys in the backdrop dropped right out of an Industrial Revolution setting. It was mesmerising too.
Inside the Kinjo Futo Arena, next to the port, the women’s semi-final match between Satomi Watanabe and Anahat Singh was turning into a thriller. Five match points down, Just 18, second Asian Games, playing a higher ranked home favourite – The odds were against Anahat. Things did not look too easy for her opponent Satomi either. All the games were close and saving three points would change the momentum. Anahat just needed to be in the match, and keep digging with her shots inside the cage. One point after another she gained momentum. What seems even more remarkable is that at this age, with this much experience she was able to go toe-to-toe with a superior opponent. In the end, she has guaranteed herself and India a medal – silver at least at the Asian Games. She will play top seed Sivasangari Subramaniam of Malaysia in the final. One thing kept playing inside her head, in a loop: the Olympic qualification. Whosoever gets the yellow metal will get a ticket to LA28, no hassle of going through the tough qualification process.
The support cast came into picture too. She was pumped up after reversing the third game in her favour after giving away the first two closely-contested games.
Anahat was one of the youngest at the Asian Games in Hangzhou three years ago. She did not know much about the significance but learnt as she tread through the matches. The experience she gathered in the last three years in between helped her to get tough mentally.
Anahat’s game is not very aggressive but one can safely say it is calculative getting the angles and shots right. It is the consistency she banks on. Yet, she had to pull out the reserves to beat Satomi. The hall was sparsely crowded like most stadiums but enough to propel home favourites initially. The previous match, the first between the two, ended in favour of Satomi after Anahat took the lead 2-0. The scores reversed on Saturday.
Anahat broke down the moment when she was stretched with a lot of honesty. “In the first two games, my coaches were telling me not to get too stressed out and that I am playing the right game,” she said in the mixed zone here. “I really need to make sure that I am doing it continuously and not only towards the end of the games. They just kept pushing me and telling me that you are doing well.” That gave her confidence.
Anahat considered this match one the most important wins in her career. Though Satomi was ranked higher, Anahat did not give too much importance to that. “I just thought of her as another opponent who I have played once before and had a close game with,” she said. “Anything is possible in a stage like this. It just depends on who has the right mentality and who is really willing to give it all on court.”
On Sunday she will be playing the final of her life. The Olympic spot is up for grabs. If the last Asian Games went as a blur, this time she appears more confident. She has added three more years and that showed in her game. “Last time, I had never been in a place like that before but this time there have been a lot of changes in my career,” she said. Most importantly she has grown.
Abhay cruises into final
If Anahat had to overcome intense competition, Abhay Singh had quite an easy outing, outlasting his Pakistan opponent in three games. Any Pakistan opponent turns into a news. But for the Indian squash player it is just another match. Last Asian Games, he was involved in a heated exchange but this time he is taking every match in his stride. The final will be against Malaysia's Ng Eain Yow on Sunday.
“I was a bit more immature last time, a little more mature this time and a bit more calm,” said Abhay. “I mean, I am pumped up but I know how to keep my cool a bit better.”
Abhay has a cool head which he displayed on Saturday. For others, the India-Pakistan rivalry may be considered other-worldly but for him it is just another match. “It's just another opponent and just another match. We're here to win for the country. Too many people put too much work in with us and we have to do justice to their work.”
With Sunday offering two finals, it’s over to the two squash exponents to herald India’s new era in one of the country’s storied sports.
