\u201cYou never know; it could be my last, maybe not. I think I played pretty well in the first. I think we were quite toe-to-toe,\u201d Abhay told IANS.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 44-minute contest at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena saw Abhay stay close to Eain in the opening game before the Malaysian gradually took control to beat the Indian 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 and bag the title.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Abhay, who became only the second Indian man after Saurav Ghosal to win a silver medal in the Asian Games men\u2019s singles event, was unable to secure the direct qualification spot for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics that came with the gold medal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Eain, who had also defeated Ghosal in the Hangzhou 2022 final, became the first squash player to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics through the Asian Games after winning the title without dropping a game in Aichi-Nagoya.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Abhay said he was disappointed with the result but credited Eain for producing the better performance on the day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI think he started playing better squash in the second. He put the ball in very good areas, very clean squash, and moved well. Like I said, all credit to him; I think he was the better athlete today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Indian, however, insisted that the silver medal would not leave him disheartened when viewed in the larger picture, even though the defeat was painful.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI\u2019m not disheartened on a bigger picture. I\u2019m disheartened about tonight, obviously. Many people put a lot of effort into me. \u201cIt\u2019s just me wanting to give back, wanting to do well,\u201d Abhay said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s my team, whether it\u2019s everyone back home in the government sponsoring you, all the sponsors, all the help we get, all the support and love we get. I just hope that I left everything I had out there. But you fall short, and you still feel a bit of pain,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Abhay was also grateful to have his parents present in Nagoya, saying their presence had made the week special.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cMy parents are wonderful; they don\u2019t say much. They know when to say what to say. It\u2019s been nice to have them here. They didn\u2019t make the last Asian Games, but I\u2019m glad they were able to watch this week,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 28-year-old also dedicated the medal to the wider support system behind him, including his team, government and sponsors.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt goes out to everyone, really. I don\u2019t think anyone really deserves more credit than the others. But I think I work very closely with many people who are also here this week in the Indian support team,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Abhay also acknowledged the support extended to squash by the Indian government and the Tamil Nadu government.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI think the respected Prime Minister has come in and changed Indian sport for the better. It\u2019s unbelievable the support Squash gets. My state government of Tamil Nadu has been absolutely brilliant with me. This medal goes out to all of them as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Abhay also acknowledged the support extended to squash by the Indian government and the Tamil Nadu government.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Abhay will now turn his attention to the team event before taking a short break and then competing at the US Open.<\/p>\r\n\r\n