Asian Games 2023: Rohan Bopanna, Rutuja Bhosale clinch gold in tennis mixed doubles event

The Indian duo of Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale delivered an impressive comeback victory in the mixed doubles final on Saturday, defeating the ninth-seeded Tsung-hao Huang and En-shuo Liang from Chinese Taipei with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 10-4. This win continues India's remarkable streak of securing at least one gold medal in every Asian Games edition this century.

In the opening set, India faced difficulties as Rutuja, in her first-ever final with a medal on the line, felt the pressure. They were broken twice and lost the set 2-6 in just under thirty minutes. However, they made a strong comeback in the second set, managing to secure a late break. Rutuja's exceptional return game at the net played a crucial role in leveling the score. The momentum carried through to the deciding set shoot-out, where Rutuja sealed the victory with an ace.

This victory marks Bopanna's second medal at the Asian Games, following his gold in the men's doubles event at Jakarta 2018. It also serves as a redemption for him after the unexpected early exit in the men's doubles, where he partnered with Yuki Bhambri, a pair that was highly anticipated to claim the gold. On the other hand, Rutuja achieved her first-ever medal haul at this prestigious continental meet.

This marked India's second tennis medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, following the silver medal won by Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni in the men's doubles event, where they lost to the Chinese Taipei duo of Jason Jung and Yu-hsiou Hsu in the final. Additionally, this was India's third gold medal in mixed doubles at the Asian Games, with Leander Paes and Sania Mirza winning in Doha 2006, and Sania teaming up with Myneni to claim the top spot in Incheon 2014.

On their way to the final, Bopanna and Bhosale defeated Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova-Maksim Shin 6-4, 6-2 in the second round, having received a bye in the first round. As the second-seeded pair in the Games, they then overcame Ayano Shimizu-Shinji Hazawa 6-3, 6-4 in the round of 16, and emerged victorious against the Kazakh duo Zhibek Kulambayeva-Grigoriy Lomakin with a score of 7-5, 6-3 in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, the Indian pair faced a tough challenge from Chinese Taipei's Hao-ching Chan and Yu-hsiou Hsu, but managed to maintain their composure and secure a 6-1, 3-6, 10-4 victory in the tie-breaker.

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