Asian Games: Bopanna-Bhosale pair enters mixed doubles final

Hangzhou, Sep 29 (IANS) Indian tennis ace Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale paved their way to a mixed doubles gold medal match after registering a 6-1, 3-6, 10-4 against Chinese Taipei's Yu-hsiou Hsu and Hao-ching Chang in semifinal at the 19th Asian Games, here on Friday.

The Indian pair secured the initial set in a swift 28 minutes, gaining an early advantage. Nevertheless, the third-seeded Chinese Taipei duo made a comeback in the second set, equalising the match and prompting a 10-point tie-breaker set.

Then, Bopanna and Bhosale emerged victorious in the tie-breaker, scoring six crucial points, consequently earning a spot in the mixed doubles final.

In the gold medal match, India will play the other Chinese Taipei pair Tsung-hao Huang and En-shuo Liang on Saturday.

Notably, Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale are on the verge of securing their maiden Asian Games mixed doubles medal, guaranteeing at least a silver, a significant achievement for both players.

In the history of the Asian Games, the Indian team has accumulated a total of six mixed doubles medals, comprising two gold, silver, and bronze medals each.