Bengaluru, March 7 (IANS) The Indian men’s team secured their first-ever bronze medal with a 3–0 win against Chinese Taipei in the Wheelchair Tennis World Team Cup Asia Qualification Event 2026, held in Colombo from March 2-6. Organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), this tournament acts as the Asian qualifier for the esteemed World Team Cup and is often called the “Davis Cup of wheelchair tennis”.
The Indian men’s team included Shekar Veeraswamy (World No. 210), India’s top player, along with Basavaraj Kundargi (World No. 185) from Karnataka, and Karthik Karunakaran (World No. 351) from Tamil Nadu.
India started their campaign with a 0–3 defeat tp Korea Republic. Han Sungbong (World No. 46) won against Karunakaran with scores of 6-1, 6-1, while Im Ho Won (World No. 61) defeated Kundargi 6-1, 6-2. Lee Jihwan (World No. 52) and Han Sungbong then secured the overall win with a 6-3, 6-2 doubles victory.
The team then faced another 0–3 loss against the host nation, Sri Lanka. Lasantha Ranaweera (World No. 63) defeated Veeraswamy with scores of 6-2, 6-0, while Suresh Dharmasena (World No. 78) beat Kundargi 6-0, 6-0. The Sri Lankan duo of Gamini Dissanayaka and Prasanna Wijesirige sealed the victory with a 6-3, 6-3 doubles win.
India made a strong comeback with a clear 3–0 win against Pakistan. Karunakaran quickly defeated Muhammad Firas (World No. 156) 6-0, 6-0, while Veeraswamy beat Fida Hussain (World No. 173) 6-0, 6-1. The Indian duo then secured another dominant doubles victory, winning 6-0, 6-0.
India secured the bronze medal with a precise 3–0 win over Chinese Taipei. Karunakaran beat Tang Chao-Han (World No. 84) 6-1, 6-1, and Veeraswamy defeated Wang Wei-Hsuan (World No. 92) 6-1, 6-2. In doubles, the pair also bested Cheng Han-Tsung (World No. 101) and Tang Chao-Han 6-1, 6-0, cementing India’s spot on the podium.
This podium finish highlights India’s expanding influence in wheelchair tennis across Asia, with players from Karnataka significantly contributing to the national team’s success.
Peter Vijay Kumar, who serves as both coach and captain of the Indian wheelchair team, said, “This is the first time the Indian men’s team has finished third and won the bronze medal. The players performed extremely well, showed great coordination as a team and demonstrated tremendous improvement. The Asian zone is the toughest region to qualify for the World Group, so securing a bronze medal here is truly commendable.”
In the women’s competition, India was represented by Shilpa Kadukothanahalli Puttaraju (World No. 70), India No. 2 Prathima Narayana Rao from Karnataka (World No. 83), and Mubeena Kolakar from Maharashtra (World No. 112).
India’s first match was against Korea, but they lost 0–3. Han Inkyung defeated Prathima Narayana Rao 6-0, 6-0, and Park Juyoun beat Shilpa Puttaraju 6-1, 6-1. The Korean pair then secured the overall victory with a 6-0, 6-0 doubles win.
India then faced a strong Chinese team led by Li Xiaohui (World No. 2) and Wang Ziying (World No. 4). Wang defeated Prathima Narayana Rao 6-1, 6-0, while Li Xiaohui beat Shilpa Puttaraju 6-0, 6-1. The Chinese team secured the win with another doubles victory, winning 6-0, 6-0.
India almost secured a victory in their final match against Kazakhstan. Zhanat Umutkulova narrowly defeated Prathima Narayana Rao 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3), while Shilpa Puttaraju helped keep India in the game with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Aizhan Butimbayeva. Ultimately, the Kazakhstan duo of Butimbayeva and Umutkulova won the decisive doubles match 6-2, 6-7(1), [10-5], resulting in a 2–1 victory.
After the Asia qualifiers, the Indian wheelchair tennis team will keep competing on the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour as they gear up for the upcoming World Team Cup qualification cycle. The tour includes tournaments across Asia and globally, providing ranking points and important international competition experience.
–IANS
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