India have been crowned champions of the “Exciting Hangzhou” KINME Cup Asian Squash Mixed Doubles Tournament after a 2-0 victory over Malaysia.

Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Harinder Sandhu were in excellent form as they overpowered Rachel Arnold and Ivan Yuen inside the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, which has been nicknamed the Crystal Palace for its eight dazzling glass courts.

The tournament, which featured 21 teams from 10 national federations, was part of a test event ahead of this year’s Asian Games, which takes place in Hangzhou, China, September 23-8 October and features mixed doubles squash for the first time in Asian Games history.

In a tense first game in the final, the experienced Indian pair held their nerve to convert sudden death game ball at 10-10 to take a 1-0 lead.

Malaysia’s Arnold and Yuen battled well in the second and went 6-5 up as they sought to restore parity. Pallikal Karthik – who in 2022 won India’s first ever Mixed Doubles World Championship title alongside Saurav Ghosal – and Sandhu, however, fended off the challenge, with Sandhu finishing the contest with a delightful forehand into the nick to take the game 11-8 and seal a 2-0 win.

Watch the full replay of the final for free at worldsquash.tv

Result: “Exciting Hangzhou” KINME Cup Final

Karthik/Sandhu (IND) beat Arnold/Yuen (MAS) 2-0: 11-10, 11-8

Find out more about the Exciting Hangzhou KINME Cup at asiansquash.org.

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