Asian Games 2026: Manush Shah and Diya Chitale Secure Historic Table Tennis Bronze for India

India's mixed doubles pair of Manush Shah and Diya Chitale secured a bronze medal in table tennis at the Asian Games 2026, despite suffering a defeat in the semi-finals against a formidable Chinese combination.
The Indian duo went down 0-4 (8-11, 5-11, 8-11, 2-11) to China's Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha in the mixed doubles semi-final played on Friday. The contest, held at Sky Hall, lasted less than 30 minutes as the Chinese pair dominated proceedings throughout the match.
Despite the loss, Shah and Chitale achieved a significant milestone by securing India's first table tennis medal of the ongoing Asian Games. Their bronze medal also marks only India's second-ever medal in the mixed doubles event at the Asian Games.
The Indian pair had earlier produced one of the biggest upsets of the competition by defeating the world No. 4 Hong Kong duo of Do Hoi Kem and Wong Chun Ting 3-1 in the quarter-finals. That victory guaranteed them a place on the podium and ensured a medal for India.
India's previous medal in Asian Games mixed doubles table tennis came eight years ago in Jakarta, where Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra won a bronze medal.
Mixed Results for Indian Table Tennis Players
In the singles competition, Manush Shah continued his campaign with a convincing 4-0 victory over Iran's Benjamin Faraji, advancing to the Round of 16.
In the women's singles category, Yashaswini Ghorpade also progressed to the last 16 after defeating Syria's Hend Zaza 4-1.
However, several other Indian paddlers faced disappointment. Manav Thakkar and Sreeja Akula were eliminated from their respective singles events after defeats against players from North Korea.
India's challenge in the men's doubles competition also ended, with the pairs of Harmeet Desai and G Sathiyan, as well as Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar, losing to Japanese opponents.
In women's doubles, both Indian combinations struggled against Chinese opposition. The pairings of Sreeja Akula and Sindrela Das, and Yashaswini Ghorpade and Diya Chitale, were knocked out after their defeats to Chinese players.
Even though the mixed doubles campaign ended in the semi-finals, the bronze medal won by Manush Shah and Diya Chitale provided India with a notable achievement in table tennis at the Asian Games and added another chapter to the country's growing success in the sport.