Asian Games 2026: India women's TT team reach QF, to face North Korea next
Synopsis
India's women's table tennis team came from behind to beat Thailand 3-2 at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, setting up a quarterfinal against North Korea — their biggest stage yet in this event. Meanwhile, Chetan Bhatt fell agonisingly short of a karate bronze, losing by Senshu at 1-1 in a contest that could not have been tighter.
Key Takeaways
India's women's table tennis team beat Thailand 3-2 to reach the Asian Games 2026 quarterfinals in Nagoya on 22 September .
Sreeja Akula sealed the win with a 3-1 victory over Thai Olympian Suthasini Sawettabut ; Yashaswini Ghorpade contributed two crucial wins.
India face North Korea in the quarterfinals; all three of India's previous Asian Games TT medals have been bronze.
Chetan Bhatt lost the men's 84kg kumite bronze bout to Chinese Taipei's Meng-yu Chu via Senshu after scores finished 1-1 .
India's 4x100m medley relay quartet clocked 3:40.41s to qualify seventh for the final.
India's overall Asian Games 2026 medal tally stands at six — four silvers and two bronzes .
India's women's table tennis team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya on Tuesday, 22 September, overcoming a spirited Thailand challenge in a tense five-game tie to set up a last-eight clash with North Korea.
How India Came Back to Beat Thailand
Trailing 2-1, India rallied to win 3-2 in a match that tested nerves on both sides. Yashaswini Ghorpade was instrumental, winning two matches to keep India alive. The decisive point came from Sreeja Akula, who closed out the tie with a 3-1 (9-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8) victory against Thai Olympian and Asian Games medallist Suthasini Sawettabut.
India's Table Tennis Medal Journey at Asian Games
India have won three Asian Games table tennis medals to date — all bronze. The nation's breakthrough came at Jakarta 2018, when the Indian men's team claimed the country's first-ever table tennis medal at the Games. Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra subsequently added another bronze in mixed doubles at the same edition. At Hangzhou 2023, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee won bronze in women's doubles — India's first Asian Games medal in that event.
Chetan Bhatt Misses Karate Bronze After Senshu Call
In karate, India's Chetan Bhatt narrowly missed a podium finish in the men's 84kg kumite bronze-medal bout, losing to Chinese Taipei's Meng-yu Chu via Senshu — a tie-breaker rule applied when scores are level — after both fighters finished at 1-1. Bhatt had earlier been eliminated from the semi-finals, going down 8-0 to Jordan's Mohammad Alja'Fari.
Other Indian Performances at Asian Games 2026
India's 4x100m medley relay quartet of Rohit Benediction, Danush Suresh, Rishabh Das, and Akash Mani clocked 3:40.41 seconds to finish seventh among 16 countries in the heats, qualifying for the final scheduled later in the day.
In soft tennis, Aadhya Tiwari lost her women's singles opener in Group D to Thailand's Alisha Ziegler 4-1 (1-4, 4-0, 4-0, 4-2, 6-4) and will need a win against Pakistan's Kainaat Shallwani to keep her campaign alive. Compatriot Jay Meena progressed to the knockouts with a 4-0 (4-2, 4-0, 4-2, 4-0) win over Pakistan's Hussain Arain in Group D men's singles.
India's men's sepaktakraw team, meanwhile, is all but out of contention after losing their second Group B match to Malaysia 0-2 (15-9, 15-12). They face the Philippines in their final group game on Wednesday.
India's Medal Tally at Asian Games 2026
India have accumulated six medals so far — four silvers and two bronzes — at the Asian Games 2026. A table tennis quarterfinal win over North Korea would mark India's deepest run in the women's team event and could add to that haul.
Point of View
And the India women's table tennis team is now one win from a potential medal — territory they have never reached in team play. The North Korea quarterfinal is a genuine unknown, but the fact that India even has this shot reflects years of investment in the programme after the Jakarta 2018 breakthrough. Chetan Bhatt's Senshu loss is a reminder of how fine the margins are in combat sports — the difference between bronze and fifth place was not a single point but a single exchanged attack. India's six-medal total is respectable, but the real test of the Games will be whether the women's TT squad can convert this run into the country's first Asian Games medal in the women's team event.
NationPress
22 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Did India's women's table tennis team qualify for the Asian Games 2026 quarterfinals?
Yes, India's women's table tennis team beat Thailand 3-2, coming back from 2-1 down, to reach the quarterfinals of the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya on 22 September. They will next face North Korea in the last eight.
How did Sreeja Akula perform against Thailand at the Asian Games?
Sreeja Akula clinched the decisive fifth match for India, defeating Thai Olympian and Asian Games medallist Suthasini Sawettabut 3-1 with scores of 9-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8. Her win, combined with two victories from Yashaswini Ghorpade, secured India's passage to the quarterfinals.
Why did Chetan Bhatt lose the karate bronze-medal match at Asian Games 2026?
Chetan Bhatt lost to Chinese Taipei's Meng-yu Chu in the men's 84kg kumite bronze bout via Senshu — a rule that decides bouts when scores are level at the end of regulation. Both fighters finished at 1-1, and Meng-yu Chu was awarded the victory under the Senshu criterion.
How many medals has India won at the Asian Games 2026 so far?
India have won six medals at the Asian Games 2026 as of 22 September — four silvers and two bronzes. A quarterfinal win for the women's table tennis team could add to that tally.
What is India's history in table tennis at the Asian Games?
India have won three Asian Games table tennis medals, all bronze. The first came at Jakarta 2018 with the men's team, followed by a mixed doubles bronze for Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra at the same Games. The most recent was a women's doubles bronze for Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee at Hangzhou 2023.
