Ankita Raina secured a Bronze medal match for India. (Source: AP)
The 25-year-old Tennis player Ankita Raina secured a Bronze medal for India, becoming only the second female tennis player from the country to win a medal in singles’ competition at the Asian Games, only after Sania Mirza won a silver in Doha in 2006, followed by a bronze in 2010, Guangzhou. Raina went down 4-6, 7-6 against China’s Zhang Shuai in the semifinal match after a hard-fought battle and could not reach the final.
The current Indian No. 1, who hails from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, defeated Hong Kong’s Eudice Wong Chong in straight sets 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinal to enter the semifinal on Wednesday. But playing against a vastly more experienced opponent on Thursday, Raina could not go past the Zhang to enter the final.
Raina, who was not 100 percent fit, called for a medical time out in the middle of the match. But despite the injury, she continued to give a good fight to Zhang, stretching the second set to the tie-breaker. But eventually, Zhang was able to counter the Indian with her speed and strong returns, Raina had to settle for the bronze medal.
Meanwhile, Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan won the Men’s Doubles semifinals 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 against Japan’s K Uesegi and S Shimabukuro and assured themselves of at least a silver medal at the Asian Games. The duo will play the Men’s Doubles Final on Thursday.