Malaysia's Eain Yow Ng (left) competes against India's Saurav Ghosal in the men's squash singles gold-medal match at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre on Thursday.

Defending men's team squash champion Malaysia experienced a setback, suffering a 2-0 defeat against India in the semifinals at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre a week ago, ultimately securing a bronze medal when Malaysia's top player, Eain Yow Ng, lost to India's Saurav Ghosal.

However, in a thrilling men's singles final on Thursday, Ng redeemed himself, turning the tables on Ghosal by beating him 3-1 to clinch the gold.

"The first two games were so tough—11-9 each, but in the end, it was just a bit of a mental challenge," the 25-year-old said after the victory.

"I was happy to get through today. To have made my first final, I really wanted to enjoy it, especially after the disappointment of last week."

Five years ago, Ng and his teammates won the men's team gold, so losing in the semifinal in Hangzhou was tough for him. However, he took lessons from the loss to Ghosal and changed his mindset in the singles final—by starting to enjoy himself.

Ng recalled that both players made few errors, and there was a lot of retrieving in the intense final. He believed that he just needed to stay strong and have confidence that he could win, especially in the last two sets.

Ng spoke highly of his 37-year-old opponent.

"All credit to Saurav. What a legend! If you watch him over the last two weeks, he has played unbelievably," he said.

Ng's father introduced him to squash when he was 5 years old. Three years later, he started playing tournaments around Malaysia. He first represented his country at the age of 9, carving out a successful junior career.

In 2019, he began training with coach Hadrian Stiff in Bristol, England. He has also served as a health and wellness ambassador for the Professional Squash Association Foundation.

Malaysia has long remained a squash powerhouse, securing more than a third of the total medals available—26 out of 72—since squash was introduced to the Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, 1998.

Despite the challenges faced by the men's team at the Hangzhou Asiad, Malaysia demonstrated its prowess across all five squash events, bringing home three golds, one silver and one bronze.

Ng said he understood the significance of his gold-medal win and recognized the immense pride it brought to his nation.

"We've always done well in terms of a medal count for Malaysia…So, I feel like we are going to continue that," he said.

"I feel really grateful for the support that I've got from the Malaysian government and the sports (authorities).

"I really appreciate all the effort they put in, and I feel like we've played our part in that sense."