India overcame a set deficit to win the mixed doubles tennis gold at the Asian Games thanks to a timely performance from Rutuja Bhosale and steady play from seasoned player Rohan Bopanna.
India came back from a set down to win the tennis mixed doubles gold at the Asian Games on Saturday because to Rutuja Bhosale’s last-second improvement and veteran Rohan Bopanna’s steady play with his powerful serves. The Chinese Taipei duo of Tsung-hao Huang and En-shuo Liang were defeated by the second-seeded Indian team in the championship match 2-6 6-3 10-4. In a poor campaign in which the nation only managed to win two medals, the other being men’s doubles silver, the victory meant that India would return from the Asian Games with at least one tennis gold.
India’s performance at the Asian Games with just two medals is its poorest since the turn of the century.
In the subsequent editions, India won four medals in 2006 in Doha, five in 2010 in Guangzhou, five in 2014 in Incheon, and three in 2018 in Indonesia. India had returned from Busan with four medals in 2002.
Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan’s men’s doubles pair had won silver on Friday, but other competitors dwindled during the competition.
Due to Sumit Nagal and Ankita Raina’s early exits from the singles competition, no national singles player could advance to the medal round.
The men’s doubles medal favourites Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri’s early elimination from the competition was the biggest setback for the Indian tennis representation in other team competitions.
