Asian Games 2026: Manush Shah-Diya Chitale Storm Into Semifinals, Assure India Of TT Mixed Doubles Medal

Manush Shah and Diya Chitale secured India’s first table tennis medal at the Asian Games 2026 after producing a stunning quarterfinal victory over Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem and Wong Chun Ting on Friday.

The Indian pair, ranked eighth in the world, defeated the fourth-ranked Hong Kong combination 3-1 (11-6, 13-15, 11-9, 11-5) to book their place in the semifinals and guarantee themselves at least a bronze medal.

Shah and Chitale made a fast start, taking the opening game 11-6. The Hong Kong duo responded by edging a closely contested second game 15-13, but the Indians regained control in the third, winning it 11-9.

The Indian pair then closed out the contest in the fourth game, winning 11-5 to complete a memorable victory and seal their place in the last four.

The achievement makes Shah and Chitale only the second Indian mixed doubles pair to win an Asian Games medal. Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra had previously claimed bronze in the event at the 2018 Jakarta Games.

India’s table tennis medal tally at the Asian Games now includes four bronze medals across different events, with the men’s team winning bronze in 2018, Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra taking mixed doubles bronze in the same edition, and Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee securing women’s doubles bronze in 2023.

Shah and Chitale will next face China’s Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin in the semifinals later on Friday. The Chinese pair are the two-time defending champions and enter the contest as the second-ranked combination in the world.