Asian Games 2023: India’s Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale clinch gold medal in mixed doubles

The second-seeded Indian pair of Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale clawed back to win a gold medal in the mixed doubles at the Asian Games 2023. The victory helped India keep their sensational track record of at least a gold in each of the six Asian Games events in this century intact. The Indian mixed doubles duo got the better of the ninth-seeded Chinese Taipei team of Tsung-hao Huang and En-shuo Liang 2-6, 6-3, 10-4 to secure the much-coveted gold medal. With this triumph, the Indian contingent succeeded in winning the ninth gold medal in the ongoing Asian Games.

For Bopanna, it was his second tennis final at the Asian Games. The 43-year-old had featured in the men’s doubles final at Jakarta 2018 where he succeeded in winning a gold medal. Bopanna’s men’s doubles campaign, however, came to an end in the round of 16 at this year’s Asian Games. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, Bopanna was paired with Yuki Bhambri in the men’s doubles segment.

In the mixed doubles final, Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale struggled initially having conceded the first set 2-6 in just around half an hour. They, however, exhibited terrific resilience and a steely mindset to complete a phenomenal comeback.