India on course for best-ever haul after Ghosal reaches men's singles final

Indians star squash player Saurav Ghosal got the better of Henry Leung of Hong Kong in the mens singles semifinals to remain firmly on course for a second gold medal at the ongoing Asian Games 2023 on WednesdayHaving played his part in the mens team triumph the world number 19 from India was far too good for the 52ranked Henry and completed a dominating 112 112 116 victory in 33 minutesIndia could end up with an unprecedented three gold medals from the squash courts with the mixed doubles duo of Dipika Pallikal and Harinderpal Sandhu also reaching the title clash to be played on ThursdaySecond seed Ghosal will meet top seed Eain Yow Ng in the final on Thursday The Indian had beaten his Malaysian rival in four games in the team semifinalsHaving missed a golden chance to step on the top of the singles podium in 2014 the 37yearGhosal will be determined to end his sixth and probably last Asian Games on a highThough his Hong Kong opponent was much younger Ghosal was superior on both tactical and physical side of the gameHenry could do little about the boasts shot that hits the side wall before hitting the front wall that Ghosal would unleash out of nowhere to end the point in his favourHis deft drop shots on the right side of the front wall also helped him gain a big lead in the first gameAlso Read Asian Games 2023 Future of Indian squashIn the second game he complemented his boasts with drop shots on the left side of the front wall Ghosal converted his first game point from 101 when his Hong Kong opponent hit his backhand on the tinWith Henry leading 31 in the third game a comeback looked likely but Ghosal was quick to cut the tiny lead before gaining an 85 advantage with a perfect placed boast Ghosals forehand drop on the right was not retrieved by Henry handing the Indian a convincing winEarlier on Wednesday the Indian pairing of Dipika and Harinderpal won 711 117 119 against Hong Kongs Lee Ka Yi and Wong Chi Him to make the finalHowever it was heartbreak for the second Indian pair of Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh as they lost to Aifa Binti Azman and Mohammad Syafiq Bin Mohd Kamal of Malaysia 118 211 911 in the other mixed doubles semifinalIn a match that saw Anahat colliding with Azman the Indians won the first game quite comfortably but lost their way in the second before the Malaysians emerged winners in the decisive tie ensuring that it wont be an allIndia final in the mixed eventDipika who is playing her last Asian Games and Harinder lost the opening game of their semifinal to Yi and Him but staged a remarkable comeback to claim the next two games after 38 minutes of intense squashWhile the Indians took just nine minutes to win the second game thanks to Harinder and Dipikas excellent court coverage the third game lasted 15 minutes as the pair from Hong Kong looked to stretch the deciderEven as the Indians advanced to the final there was a moment of concern for the team when the ball struck Harinder in the face after a shot from LeeIts good to have won Every round is important I feel like everyone has come prepared We knew that we had to stick to our plan play to the best of our ability and just forget about the results The results will come Dipika saidWith agency inputs