Daijiworld Media Network - Hangzhou

Hangzhou, Oct 1: India's tennis campaign at the Asian Games ended without a medal, marking the country's first medal-less outing in the sport at the continental event since 1986.

India's hopes of a podium finish ended in the men's singles quarterfinals, where top-ranked player Sumit Nagal was beaten 4-6, 4-6 by China's Yibing Wu in one hour and 38 minutes.

India had entered the competition with medal expectations, but its challenge faded across the events. Nagal had also reached the quarterfinals at the 2023 Hangzhou Games, while Ramkumar Ramanathan had exited in the third round.

The last Indian singles players to win Asian Games medals were Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ankita Raina, who claimed bronze at the 2018 Jakarta Games. Rohan Bopanna had also played a key role in India's recent success, winning men's doubles gold in 2018 with Divij Sharan and another gold in 2022.

The doubles campaign also failed to deliver a medal this time. Balaji-Anirudh Chandrasekar and Yuki Bhambri-Dhakshineswar Suresh both lost in the quarterfinals, while Dhakshineswar also exited in the third round of the singles event.

India coach Ashutosh Singh said the team had expected stronger results from the tournament.

“We obviously would have wanted stronger results, particularly given the quality and experience within the team,” he said, as said.

Singh said Nagal had created opportunities against Wu but was unable to convert them. He also stressed the need for Dhakshineswar to develop greater consistency during physically demanding tournaments.

With Nagal now 29, India will also have to plan for the next generation of players ahead of the 2030 Asian Games in Doha.