Malaysia Marks Historic Asian Games Gold Medal Double

Malaysia made history in Nagoya, Japan, today after becoming the first nation to win the gold medals in both the men's and women's Asian Games team squash events.

With the string order set at 3-1-2, Malaysia's women's team won back-to-back titles, while the men's team secured their first gold medal since 2018.

Kicking off the action at the Kinjo-Futo Arena, Malaysia's women's team defended their title against Hong Kong following an intense 2/1 battle.

The dramatic final saw Malaysia's No.3 string Aifa Azman open the contest with a straight-games victory over Hong Kong's Tomato Ho.

Despite the 3/0 scoreline, the match was far from one-sided, with both players pushing each other to the limit from the very beginning - and that was evident in the opening game, which Azman won 11-9.

The battle continued into the second, as although Azman was able to start quickly and build a 7-1 lead, Ho refused to go down without a fight, clawing the contest back to 9-9.

With the pressure mounting on Malaysia's No.3 string, Azman was able to rise above it, closing out the second 11-9 before battling hard once again to win the third 12-10.

Heading into the second tie with Malaysia in the lead, Hong Kong's Sin Yuk Chan responded by upsetting world No.5 and last week's Asian Games individual champion Sivasangari Subramaniam in another five-game battle.

Both players arrived at the match following five-game victories in the semi-finals, with Chan staging an impressive comeback against India's Anahat Singh and Subramaniam overcoming home favourite Satomi Watanabe - and the duo would go all the way once again.

It was the Hong Kong No.1 string who started strongest, putting the world No.5 under immediate pressure and claiming the first game 11-7.

That pressure continued into the second, as Chan refused to back down and pushed Subramaniam all the way, but the Malaysian levelled the scores by winning 11-9.

Subramaniam was then given a chance to take control, winning the third 11-9, but Chan once again fought her way back into the tie, claiming the fourth 11-5 to send the match to a crucial fifth game.

Chan then completed the comeback, defeating Subramaniam 11-7 in the decider.

With the pressure rising and both teams just one match away from capturing the gold medal, it was No.2 string Aira Azman who kept her composure to seal the title for Malaysia, defeating Ka Yi Lee 11-9, 11-5, 11-4.

Aira Azman said afterwards: "I was quite nervous playing in the third match today, and the opening game was close, and having never played as a decider, there was pressure as it was crucial.

"Trying to defend the title, I am happy that I was able to play well today with the team's belief behind me."

Older sister Aifa continued: "Playing first is always quite difficult, but playing in any position in a final is always quite nerve-racking.

"Playing against an opponent like Tomato, playing her a few times on tour, you always have to be focused and I think I did really well to stay composed and win the match."

Subramaniam added: "We are happy to win the gold medal, this definitely means a lot, and coming as the top seed there was always pressure on us.

"We have had to work hard with so many strong teams competing at this year's event, but defending the title, and defending the gold is a great achievement and we are very proud to have achieved that."

And the success continued for Malaysia, as the men's team confirmed the nation's second gold medal of the day, beating Pakistan 2/0 to win gold for the first time since 2018.

But it was Pakistan's Nasir Iqbal who started strongest, against Malaysia's No.3 string Ameeshenraj Chandaran, winning the opening game 11-8.

However, Chandaran was able to rise above the pressure, bouncing back to win the next two games 11-3, 11-6.

Chandaran's form continued into the fourth game, as he battled hard against Iqbal to give Malaysia the advantage, closing out the match 11-4.

Holding a 1/0 lead, the No.1 string contest would see a rematch of the men's singles semi-final, as Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng took on Pakistan's Noor Zaman.

However, this match wouldn't follow the script of their previous meeting, as Ng was forced to battle hard against the Pakistan No.1, overturning a 2/1 deficit to win the tie.

In the opening game, Ng's strong start put his team within touching distance of the title, as he claimed the opener 11-8. However, this wasn't without a response, as Pakistan's No.1 string levelled the score, winning 11-6.

With the scores level at 1/1, the battle continued into the third, with neither player giving the other any room on the scoreboard, sharing the first 12 points - but it was Pakistan's No.1 string who powered on to win the game 11-7.

With pressure mounting on Ng, he was able to recover quickly, building a 5-0 lead - a gap he would build on to win the fourth 11-4.

The pressure continued to rise heading into the fifth, with a win proving crucial for both players' gold medal ambitions.

Nonetheless, Ng's experience of winning gold would shine through in the fifth game, as he completed the comeback to seal Malaysia's historic golden double.

Ng said later: "It feels amazing to have got the gold today.

"I am so happy for this team. I said earlier this week, I have won the gold myself but this week is about playing for the team. It feels nice to back that up in the toughest match I have had across the two weeks, as Noor played unbelievably today, and wasn't missing much, so I had to dig deep.

"But winning two gold medals, it is huge for Malaysia and all of our team involved this week as it is so tough, but it means so much, and I don't think it gets much better than this."

Chandaran continued: "I'm feeling good, I was happy to start off strong today and even though I went behind, I always believed I wasn't going to lose.

"I am just beyond proud of our performance today, and we are happy to complete the week with a win."

After standing on the podium, Sanjay Jeeva added: "I am super proud to be a part of a team that has made history, winning two gold medals in the team event, I think that just shows how strong we are.

"We are so proud and privileged to be in this team."