Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar Settle for Mixed Doubles Bronze After Thrilling Semifinal at Asian Games 2026

Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar secured a bronze medal in the mixed doubles squash competition at the Asian Games 2026 after narrowly missing out on a place in the final.

The Indian pair went down 10-11, 11-2, 10-11 to Hong Kong’s Lee Ka Yi and Tang Ming Hong in an extraordinary semifinal that went down to the final point. The match featured long rallies, repeated changes in momentum, multiple match points and a controversial conclusion. India appeared to have won the decisive point at 10-10, only for the point to be replayed. Hong Kong then won the following rally to book its place in the final, leaving Joshna and Velavan to settle for bronze.

The first game immediately established the pattern for the contest. Neither pair was able to establish a significant advantage, with long rallies and small margins deciding the points.

Joshna and Velavan repeatedly edged ahead, only for Lee and Tang to respond. The Hong Kong pair moved 9-8 ahead after winning three consecutive points, but the Indians immediately fought back to level the game at 9-9. Hong Kong then earned game point, but India once again refused to let the game slip away, levelling the score.

However, in the next exchange, Lee and Tang managed to secure the decisive point and take the opening game 11-10. The narrow deficit left India needing to respond quickly.

They did exactly that. Joshna and Velavan changed their approach in the second game, starting aggressively and looking to finish rallies quickly rather than being drawn into the long exchanges that had characterised the opening game. The strategy worked almost perfectly.

India raced into a 3-0 lead and extended it to 7-2. From there, Joshna and Velavan did not surrender another point. They closed out the game 11-2 in emphatic fashion, levelling the semifinal at 1-1 and forcing a deciding game. The turnaround was striking. After losing a closely fought opening game, the Indians controlled the second from the beginning and carried the contest into a winner-takes-all third game.

Decider Turns Into a Thriller

The deciding game produced the most dramatic squash of the semifinal. Hong Kong started strongly and moved into a 5-2 lead.

India, however, fought back to reduce the deficit to 5-4, setting up a tense phase of the match. The rallies became increasingly physical and lengthy, with both pairs refusing to give away easy points. There were also several lets, with points being replayed following obstruction during rallies. Joshna and Velavan eventually levelled the game at 6-6. The Indians then moved ahead 8-7 before producing another important point to make it 9-7.

Velavan’s defensive work was particularly significant during this period as India kept themselves in control of the crucial exchanges. At 9-7, Joshna and Velavan had three match points.

A place in the Asian Games final was suddenly within touching distance.

But Lee and Tang refused to surrender. Hong Kong saved the first opportunity and then continued to fight until the score reached 10-10. The game was now effectively reduced to sudden-death territory, with both pairs needing just one point to reach the final. The decisive exchange was as tense as the rest of the match.

India appeared to have won the rally at 10-10, and Velavan briefly celebrated what seemed to be a match-winning point. However, the officials ruled that the point would be replayed. The decision proved crucial. The Indian pair had appeared to have completed the winning exchange, but the celebration was considered to have affected the situation, leading to the point being replayed.

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Hong Kong then won the replayed point. That ended the match and sent Lee Ka Yi and Tang Ming Hong into the final.

The final score read 2-1 in favour of Hong Kong: 11-10, 2-11, 11-10. For Joshna and Velavan, the result was a particularly difficult one to absorb given how close they had come to reaching the gold-medal match. They had three match points while leading 9-7 and then had another opportunity when the decider reached 10-10.

Instead, the final point went Hong Kong’s way. The Indian pair looked visibly distraught after the defeat, having come within a single rally of the final. Nevertheless, the semifinal result means Joshna and Velavan leave the Asian Games with a bronze medal.

The bronze adds another medal to India’s squash campaign at the Asian Games 2026. For Joshna Chinappa, one of India’s most experienced squash players, and Velavan Senthilkumar, the mixed doubles campaign showcased the competitiveness of the Indian pairing. Their semifinal performance contained both sides of elite squash: the ability to dominate a game, the resilience to recover from a deficit and the fine margins that can ultimately decide a medal match.

The second-game performance showed India at its attacking best, while the decider demonstrated how quickly momentum can shift when every point carries enormous significance.

In the end, India missed out on the final by the narrowest of margins. A 10-7 lead, three match points and a 10-10 scoreline had all put Joshna and Velavan within touching distance of victory. But Lee and Tang held their nerve at the critical moment.

India therefore finishes with bronze—but the manner of the semifinal defeat will leave the Indian pair wondering how close they came to playing for gold.