KUALA LUMPUR — Singapore won their first SEA Games gold in the men’s squash team event since 1995 on Tuesday evening (Aug 29) after beating the Philippines 2-1.

The quartet of Vivian Rhamanan, Samuel Kang, Benedict Chan and Pang Ka Hoe triumphed at the Nicol David Arena at Bukit Jalil’s National Squash Centre against opponents who had knocked out defending champions and favourites Malaysia in the semi-finals on Monday.

The Republic had beaten the Philippines 2-1 in the group stages and held their nerve for a second time – even with their top player Rhamanan ruled out due to a glute injury – to deny the latter a historic first team title.

Debutant Pang, 21, drew first blood with a 3-0 (11-1, 11-3, 11-6) win over world no. 400 Reymark Begornia, but world no. 280 Robert Andrew Garcia hit back for the Philippines with a 3-1 (11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9) win against Chan, 20, another Games first-timer.

It was left to Kang to bring it home for Singapore in the decider and the 26-year-old delivered, triumphing (11-4, 11-4, 11-5) against David William Pelino, who is ranked 153 places higher at world no. 350.

“It’s one-all and you are playing the decider for the gold medal; there were nerves, but I tried to visualise this morning and last night, going into every possible scenario, so that helped me calm down a little bit,” said Kang.

“I’ve played this guy before, I’ve been working very hard and I’m confident in my abilities, I knew I had to stay strong as everyone is going to give their best in the final, with the crowd behind me, I managed to push on and get the win.”

The gold is Singapore’s fourth ever in the men’s team event and the first since Peter Hill, Anthony Chua, Ernest Tan and Zainal Abidin won 22 years ago at the Chiangmai Games. In the subsequent years that the team event was included in 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2015, Singapore always finished second to Malaysia. Rhamanan and Kang were part of the team that won silver two years ago.

Their female compatriots also made it to the final but fell 1-2 to defending champions Malaysia, who won a sixth consecutive gold in the team event.

Pamela Chua beat Ooi Kah Yan 3-2 (12-10, 4-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-9) in the first match, but Andrea Lee topped Mao Shi Hui 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-6) to draw Malaysia level before Aifa Azman sealed a 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-4) win over Sneha Sivakumar to complete the comeback.

The last Singapore women’s team to win gold was the class of 1993, which Mah Li Lian, Lina Ong, Della Lee and Josephine Choo. Singapore would lose to Malaysia in the finals for the next four editions, after which the team event was not contested until its return two years ago, where Singapore picked up bronze.

Having swept the men’s and women’s jumbo doubles titles last Thursday, Singapore ended their squash campaign in Kuala Lumpur with three golds, two silvers (men’s doubles, women’s team) and five bronzes (men’s and women’s doubles, men’s and women’s singles, mixed doubles).