The 19‑minute blitz saw Anahat strike from the first rally, never letting the Singapore player get a foothold. Her early dominance in each set left the crowd buzzing and her opponents scrambling.
Tanvi Khanna, meanwhile, battled a tighter 3‑1 win over Wai Yhann Au Yeong, clawing back after a 5‑11 loss with two straight 11‑5 sets before snatching the fourth game 13‑11 in the final minutes of a 39‑minute duel.
Both victories set up an all‑Indian quarter‑final, a rare sight that could decide the bronze through a third‑place playoff. The stakes are high: a medal keeps India’s Asian Games haul strong.
On the men's side, Abhay Singh’s 3‑0 (11‑5, 11‑6, 11‑0) over Sri Lanka’s Ravindu Laksiri and Veer Chotrani’s hard‑fought 3‑2 win over Malaysia’s Sanjay Jeeva added depth to the squad. In mixed doubles, Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar breezed past fellow Indians to reach the quarter‑finals.
Friday’s quarter‑finals will decide whether the all‑India women's showdown turns into a medal match, while the men and mixed doubles will look to push further into the tournament.