Bengaluru, March 8: The Indian men’s wheelchair tennis team secured a bronze medal by defeating Chinese Taipei 3-0 at the 2026 Wheelchair Tennis World Team Cup Asia Qualification event. Organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), this tournament serves as the Asian qualifier for the World Team Cup, often referred to as the ‘Davis Cup of wheelchair tennis.’
The Indian team featured top players including Shekhar Veeraswamy (World Ranking 210), Basavaraj Kundargi from Karnataka (World Ranking 185), and Karthik Karunakaran from Tamil Nadu (World Ranking 351). India began their campaign with a 0-3 loss to South Korea. Han Seong-bong (World Ranking 46) defeated Karunakaran 6-1, 6-1, while Im Ho-won (World Ranking 61) overcame Kundargi 6-1, 6-2. The doubles match was clinched by Lee Ji-hwan (World Ranking 52) and Han Seong-bong, who won 6-3, 6-2.
Following this, the team faced another setback, losing 0-3 to the host nation, Sri Lanka. Lasantha Ranawira (World Ranking 63) defeated Veeraswamy 6-2, 6-0, and Suresh Dharmasena (World Ranking 78) won against Kundargi 6-0, 6-0. The Sri Lankan duo of Gamini Dissanayake and Prasanna Wijesiri secured the win with a doubles score of 6-3, 6-3.
India made a strong comeback with a decisive 3-0 victory over Pakistan. Karunakaran quickly defeated Muhammad Firas (World Ranking 156) 6-0, 6-0, while Veeraswamy triumphed over Fida Hussain (World Ranking 173) 6-0, 6-1. The Indian pair also won their doubles match 6-0, 6-0.
The bronze medal was clinched with another 3-0 victory against Chinese Taipei. Karunakaran beat Tang Chao-han (World Ranking 84) 6-1, 6-1, and Veeraswamy defeated Wang Wei-hsuan (World Ranking 92) 6-1, 6-2. In doubles, the duo triumphed over Cheng Han-tsung (World Ranking 101) and Tang Chao-han with a score of 6-1, 6-0, securing India’s place on the podium. This podium finish highlights India’s growing influence in wheelchair tennis across Asia, with significant contributions from players in Karnataka.
Peter Vijay Kumar, who serves as both coach and captain of the Indian wheelchair team, stated, “This is the first time the Indian men’s team has finished third and won a bronze medal. The players performed exceptionally well. As a team, we displayed great synergy and significant improvement. Winning a bronze medal at this challenging stage is truly commendable.”
In the women’s competition, Shilpa Kadukothanahalli Puttaraju (World Ranking 70), India’s number two player Prathima Narayan Rao (World Ranking 83), and Mubeena Kolakar from Maharashtra (World Ranking 112) represented India. The team faced a 0-3 defeat against Korea in their first match. Han In-kyung defeated Prathima Narayan Rao 6-0, 6-0, and Park Juyun won against Shilpa Puttaraju 6-1, 6-1. The Korean duo sealed their victory with a doubles win of 6-0, 6-0.
Next, India faced a formidable Chinese team led by Li Xiaohui (World Ranking 2) and Wang Ziying (World Ranking 4). Wang defeated Prathima Narayan Rao 6-1, 6-0, while Li Xiaohui won against Shilpa Puttaraju 6-0, 6-1. The Chinese team completed the sweep with another doubles victory, winning 6-0, 6-0.
In their final match against Kazakhstan, India was close to victory. Zhanat Umutkulova defeated Prathima Narayan Rao 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3), while Shilpa Puttaraju won against Aizhan Butimbaeva 6-4, 6-4, keeping India in contention. However, the Kazakhstani pair of Butimbaeva and Umutkulova won the decisive doubles match 6-2, 6-7(1), [10-5], securing a 2-1 victory.
My name is Himanshu Tiwari. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including TECHNOLOGY, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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