C. Ameeshenraj and Rachel Arnold settled for squash bronze after losing 2-0 to Hong Kong in the mixed doubles semi-final at Aichi-Nagoya Asiad
NATIONAL squash pair C. Ameeshenraj-Rachel Arnold’s hopes of reaching the mixed doubles final at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games ended after they fell 2-0 to Hong Kong in the semi-finals today.
The defeat means the Malaysian pair had to settle for bronze, which they will share with India’s Velavan Senthilkumar-Joshana Chinappa, who lost in the other semi-final at Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena.
Ameeshenraj-Rachel were edged 10-11 in the opening game before Hong Kong’s Lai Cheuk Nam-Tse Yee Lam sealed victory with an 11-7 win in the second.
“We did not play at our best today. After narrowly losing the first game, we tried to fight back, but our tactics did not work out.
“Although we are disappointed because we were targeting a place in the final, we are still grateful to have contributed a bronze medal to the country in this outing,” Rachel told reporters after the match.
Meanwhile, Ameeshenraj admitted to being frustrated by several umpiring decisions but said they had to take responsibility for their own performance.
“It was disappointing when the points were so close, but we cannot always blame the umpire. We should have controlled our emotions better. Nevertheless, winning a medal for the country, especially on my Asian Games debut, means a lot to me,” he said.
Malaysia’s other squash hopes, defending champions S. Sivasangari and Ng Eain Yow, will continue their respective campaigns with places in the singles finals at stake.
