Thulasimathi-Nitesh reach mixed doubles final at Asian Para Games

Thulasimathi Murugesan and Nitesh Kumar defeated China’s Li Mingpan and Xiao Zuxian in three games to enter the mixed doubles SL3-SU5 final at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya on Thursday, October 22, 2026. The Indians won 21-19, 14-21, 21-17 at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in a match that lasted 42 minutes. “We are very happy. It’s just that we have to focus on our next game,” Thulasimathi said after the match. Nitesh said, “We have played most of the players a lot of times, so we knew what our strengths were and how we had to play against each opponent. 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.”

India secures five bronze medals and one silver

India assured itself of at least five bronze medals and one silver medal in badminton. Suhas LY, the Tokyo Paralympics silver-medallist and defending champion, went down 21-23, 21-8, 15-21 to Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan in the SL4 semifinal to sign off with another bronze. “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. Manisha Ramdass and Pramod Bhagat lost 21-16, 13-21, 17-21 to Indonesia’s Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani to sign off with bronze. Krishna Nagar and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan lost to Indonesia’s Rina Marlina and Subhan in the mixed doubles SH6 semifinal for another bronze. Krishna won a silver medal in the men’s doubles event as well. Sanjana Kumari lost 7-21, 9-21 to Japan’s Shino Kawai in the women’s singles SL3 semifinals to take bronze.

Finals and upcoming semifinals

Thulasimathi and Nitesh will face Leani Ratri Oktila and Hikmat Ramdani in the gold-medal match. Naveen Sivakumar beat compatriot Abhijeet Sakhuja 21-13, 21-15 in the men’s singles SL4 semifinal to enter the final. “I’m very proud because this is my first Asian Games and I’ve reached the final,” he said. “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.” Nitesh will face Indonesia’s Muh Al Imran in the men’s singles SL3 semifinal. Thulasimathi is also in contention for gold in the women’s doubles SL3-SU5 event. She and Manasi Joshi will face China’s Yang Qiuxia and Xiao Zuxian in the gold-medal match on Friday.

Related on Apex Sports News

• Bhagat and Nitesh reach SL3 semifinals at Asian Para Games

• Sheetal Devi sets world record en route to Asian Para Games final

• Simran wins second Asian Para Games gold with Games record

Sources

• Sportstar

• The Bridge

• Photo: Wikisquack, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)