Indian mixed table tennis partners Manush Shah and Diya Chitale suffered a 3-0 loss to Chinese opponents in the Semifinal, claiming the bronze medal at the Asian Games 2026.
On Friday (25 September), in the mixed doubles Semifinal, the Indian paddlers faced the top-ranked doubles pair, Wong Chunqin and Sun Yingsha, from China. The Chinese stars dominated the entire match, as they won all four games by 8-11, 5-11, 8-11, and 2-11.
While the Indian paddlers already secured a medal by advancing to the Semifinals, they claimed the bronze after losing the Semifinal. It was India’s fourth Asian Games medal from table tennis (all bronze), while it was the second time that the mixed doubles brought an Asian Games medal. In 2018, Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra produced India’s first Asian Games medal in the mixed doubles table tennis event, which was also India’s second Asian Games table tennis medal.
Asian Games 2026: Mixed doubles bring their second Asian Games medal
Coming back to the partnership of Manush Shah and Diya Chitale, the Indian paddlers first beat Sri Lankan Chanul Kulappuwawadu and Bimandee Swarna (11-8, 12-10, 11-4) and the Maldives Moosa Ahmed and Aisath Nizam (11-0, 11-7, 11-6) in the first two rounds, before defeating Hong Kong paddlers Wong Chun-Ting and Doo Hoi Kem (11-6, 13-15, 11-9, 11-5) in the Quarterfinals to secure a medal at the Asian Games 2026.
Round 2: Chanul Kulappuwawadu/Bimandee Swarna (Sri Lanka) — Won by 3-0
Round 3: Moosa Ahmed/Aisath Nizam (Maldives) — Won by 3-0
Quarterfinals: Wong Chun-Ting/Doo Hoi Kem (Hong Kong) — Won by 3-1
Semifinals: Wong Chunqin/Sun Yingsha (China) — Lost by 0-4
The Indian mixed doubles partners Manush Shah and Diya Chitale are currently ranked third. Meanwhile, Manush is also ranked ninth in the men’s team and 17th in the men’s doubles. On the other hand, Diya is the ninth-ranked women’s doubles player and fifth-ranked women’s team player.