Asian Para Games 2026: Thulasimathi-Nitesh and Naveen reach badminton finals

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India’s mixed doubles duo of Thulasimathi Murugesan and Nitesh Kumar marched into the SL3-SU5 final at the Asian Para Games badminton tournament on Thursday following a hard-fought 21-19, 14-21, 21-17 win over China’s Li Mingpin and Xiao Zuxian.

“We got a little distracted in between and started making a few errors, but it was good that we got our rhythm back at the start of the third set. So, when we shifted sides, we had a good lead. That gave us a little extra confidence going into the crucial phase of the match.” Nitesh said.

Thulasimathi and Nitesh will face Indonesia’s Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani for gold. Leani and Hikmat prevented an all-Indian final by overcoming Manisha Ramdass and Pramod Bhagat 16-21, 21-13, 21-17, forcing the Indian duo to take bronze.

“We are feeling bad because it was a really close match and we had a chance. We performed well, and we were almost there. But I am really proud of the way he pushed today, and I am proud of myself as well for giving my all. But something went wrong, and we made some errors. Hopefully, we will be back for our singles matches,” Manisha reflected.

Naveen Sivakumar reaches singles final as India picks up five bronzes

In men’s singles SL4 action, Naveen Sivakumar delivered a perfect performance to defeat compatriot Abhijeet Sakhuja 21-13, 21-15 to reach the final, leaving Sakhuja with bronze.

“I’m very proud because this is my first Asian Games and I’ve reached the final. Usually, my starts are very bad. I give my opponents three or four points at the start, but this time I started well from the beginning, and that helped me.” Naveen said.

Sanjana Kumari earned bronze in women’s singles SL3 after a 7-21, 9-21 loss to Japan’s Shino Kawai. 

“The semifinal could have been better, but I will come back with hard work. Now the goal is the 2028 Olympics; I need to qualify for it,” Sanjana said.

Defending champion Suhas LY claimed bronze after falling 21-23, 21-8, 15-21 to Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan in the SL4 semifinals. 

“Disappointed with the bronze medal… I defeated him in the group matches and was looking forward to winning today, but it was not my day,” Suhas said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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