Manasi Joshi and Thulasimathi Murugesan have assured India of a medal at the Asian Para Games for the second consecutive time. They achieved this milestone by defeating China’s Yuemei Liu and Tongtong Li, thus advancing to the semifinals of the women’s doubles SL3-SU5 category on Saturday.

The Indian duo, who previously secured silver at the 2023 Hangzhou Games, won the match with scores of 21-10 and 21-17, confirming a top-two finish in Group A with one match still to play. With both losing semifinalists guaranteed bronze medals, their victory has solidified India’s position on the podium. Earlier in the tournament, Joshi and Thulasimathi had also triumphed over Indonesia’s Rahayu Warining and Qonitah Ikhtiar Syakuroh.

The pair is set to face China’s Yang Qiuxia and Xiao Zuxian in their final group match scheduled for Monday. Manasi Joshi has made headlines previously as the first Indian athlete to appear on the cover of Time magazine. The SL3-SU5 doubles event includes competitors with lower- or upper-limb impairments, who compete in a combined classification.

Krishna Nagar Advances in Men’s Singles

In another significant achievement, Tokyo Paralympics champion Krishna Nagar has reached the quarterfinals of the men’s singles SH6 event. He secured his spot by defeating Indonesia’s Subhan with scores of 21-13 and 21-15. This victory marks Nagar’s second consecutive win, ensuring a top-two finish in Group C with one match remaining.

India’s performance in the men’s singles SL3 category has also been commendable. Paris Paralympics champion Nitesh Kumar won against Thailand’s Natthapol Chamnanwet with a score of 21-6, 21-7. Additionally, Tokyo Paralympics gold medallist Pramod Bhagat defeated China’s Xiong Lichuan 21-17, 21-16, while Umesh Vikram Kumar overcame the Philippines’ Khian Kyle Urbano with a score of 21-10, 21-12.

In the men’s singles SL4 category, Naveen Sivakumar achieved victory against Indonesia’s Hikmat Ramdani with scores of 21-12, 21-10, while Surya Kant Yadav triumphed over Japan’s Koki Ogawa 21-6, 21-19. Both categories feature standing players with lower-limb impairments, with SL4 including less severe impairments than SL3.

Mixed Results in Women’s and Doubles Events

The women’s events yielded mixed results for India. Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan won against China’s Lin Shuangbao, securing a score of 21-18, 21-13 in women’s singles SH6. Thulasimathi also recorded an impressive win, defeating Brunei’s Zainab Mohamed with a score of 21-2, 21-2 in SU5. However, several Indian competitors faced defeats in women’s singles SL3, including Manasi Joshi, who lost 3-21, 3-21 to Japan’s Shino Kawai.

In doubles, Surya Kant and Naveen Sivakumar achieved a victory over China’s Mingpan Li and Lichuan Xiong, winning 21-7, 21-19 in men’s doubles SL3-SU5. Conversely, Sukant Kadam and Bhagat lost their match against South Korea’s Shin Kyung Hwan and Cho Nadan. The women’s doubles SL3-SU5 also saw Mandeep Kaur and Shanthiya Vishwanathan suffer a defeat against China’s Hefang Cheng and Zixuan Huang.

In the mixed doubles category, India’s pair of Alphia James and Prem Kumar Ale secured a win against Chinese Taipei’s I-Chen Yang and Yu-Yu Ong, with scores of 21-9, 21-17. However, other mixed doubles teams faced challenges, including Manisha Ramadass and Pramod Bhagat, who lost to Indonesia’s Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani.

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