Asian Games 2026: Yashaswini Ghorpade, Manush Shah reach singles QFs

Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 25 (ANI): Indian paddler Yashaswini Ghorpade and Manush Shah reached the pre-quarters of the singles competition in women's and men's categories at the ongoing Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Friday. 
In women's competition, Yashaswini made it to the pre-quarters, beating Syria’s Hend Zaza 4-1 (11-5, 11-5, 11-8, 8-11, 11-4).
Manush took the second-round clash against Iran's Faraji Benyamin 4-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5). 
Meanwhile, Sreeja Akula registered a loss in her round two clash against North Korea's Pyon Song Gyong by 1-4 (7-11, 8-11, 13-11, 7-11, 7-11). 
Also, in men's singles, Manav Thakkar went down to North Korea's U Tae Ryong in round two by 3-2 (11-4, 2-11, 7-11, 7-11, 11-4, 3-11). 
Earlier, India assured a table tennis medal at the Asian Games after the mixed doubles pair of Diya Chitale and Manush Shah stormed into the semifinals with a stunning victory over Hong Kong's world No. 4 duo Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem.
The Indian pair, ranked eighth in the world, defeated the Hong Kong combination 3-1 (11-6, 13-15, 11-9, 11-5) in the quarterfinals to confirm at least a bronze medal for the country.
Chitale and Shah produced a dominant display against the experienced Hong Kong pair, who are multiple-time World Championship medallists, with their latest podium finish coming at the 2025 World Championships.
With this win, India will now compete in the mixed doubles semifinals, where they face a formidable Chinese pair of Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha.
The medal marks India's second-ever table tennis mixed doubles medal at the Asian Games. The first came through Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra, who won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
The Indian duo had entered the quarterfinals with strong momentum and continued their impressive run against higher-ranked opponents to secure a historic result.
Meanwhile, India's mixed doubles campaign featuring Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade came to an end after the Indian pair suffered a 0-3 defeat against China's Lin Shidong and Kuai Man in the quarterfinals. The Chinese duo won the match 11-5, 12-10, 11-9 to progress to the semifinals. (ANI)