♔The semifinalists are assured of bronze medals in the tennis event at the Games.
Counter-puncher Sumit Nagal blunted the challenge of big-serving Beibit Zhukayev with his perseverance while Ankita Raina outgunned Adithya P Karunaratne without fuss as the two Indians inched closer to singles medals by reaching the quarterfinals at the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Tuesday. (Medal Tally | Full Coverage | Streaming | Schedule | More Sports News)
🃏Kazakhstan's Zhukayev served big but Nagal controlled the points better for a 7-6 (9) 6-4 in a riveting men's singles third round while Raina cruised to a 6-1 6-2 win over her Hong Kong opponent in the third round of the women's singles event.
ꦕThe semifinalists are assured of bronze medals in the tennis event at the Games.
💞However, the singles challenge of Ramkumar Ramanathan and Rutuja Bhosale came to a halt at the Asian Games.
ജNagal's movement on the court and immense retrieving ability was a delight to watch as several times Zhukayev went for drop shots but Nagal reached the ball to fire winners.
🃏Zhukayev was sending down powerful serves and his ground strokes packed a lot of power but Nagal was not someone who would feel threatened rather he kept the ball in play since he always had an advantage if the points were long.
🍒After saving two set points, Nagal pocketed the opening set by sending down a widish backhand which Zhukayev failed to return, making a volley error while going for a winner.
ꦺA break in the fourth game of the second set handed Nagal an early advantage as he led 4-1. In the long-drawn seventh game, Nagal saved two breakpoints but the Kazakh finally got the break with a forehand winner down the line.
෴The 26-year-old shut the door on the Kazakh with another break in game 10 when Zhukayev buried a backhand on the net on the second match point.
🐬Raina, the top Indian woman singles player at 198, converted all three breakpoints she got in the one-hour 34-minute contest and saved two of the three breakpoints she faced against her 354th-ranked rival.
🎉She will now fight it out with Japan's Haruka Kaji (ranked 213) for a place in the semifinals.
🍸Ranked 336, Bhosale was up against higher-ranked Alexandra Eala (190) from the Philippines and went down fighting 6-7 (5) 2-6 in one hour and 51 minutes.
🌊In the men's singles, Ramkumar took the court against world number 78 Yosuke Watanuki and it was always going to be a tough contest for the Indian, who has been terribly out of form this season.
🐈To his credit, Ramkumar stretched his superior Japanese rival, who had to battle hard for his 7-5 6-7 (3) 7-5 win in two hours and 40 minute match.
🍬Both Ramkumar and Bhosale are still alive in the doubles competitions.
ඣIn the mixed doubles, the top-seeded Indian pair of Yuki Bhambri and Ankita Raina reached the pre-quarterfinals with a 6-0 6-0 thrashing of Pakistan's Aqeel Khan and Sarah Khan.
𝓡However, Bhosale and her partner Karman Kaur Thandi bowed out of the women's doubles after a 5-7, 2-6 defeat against Thailand's Anchisa Chanta and Punnin Kovatitukted in 1 hour and 59 minutes.