IMAGE: Ankita Raina, the top Indian singles player, cruised to a straight sets win over Hong Kong’s Adithya P Karunaratne in the third round of the women’s singles at the Asian Games on Tuesday. Photograph: SAI Media/X
Ankita Raina advanced to the quarter-finals with yet another easy victory but the singles challenge of Ramkumar Ramanathan and Rutuja Bhosale came to a halt at the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Tuesday.
Raina, the top Indian singles player, cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Hong Kong’s Adithya P Karunaratne in the third round of the women’s singles event.
The Indian, ranked 198, converted all three breakpoints she got in the one hour 34-minute contest and saved two of the three breakpoints she faced against her 354th-ranked rival.
She will take on Japan’s Haruka Kaji (ranked 213) for a place in the semi-finals.
Ranked 336, Bhosale was up against high-ranked Alexandra Eala (190) from Philippines and went down fighting 6-7(5), 2-6 in one hour and 51 minutes.
In the men’s singles, Ramkumar took the court against World No 78 Yosuke Watanuki and it was always going to be a tough contest for the Indian, who has been terribly out of form this season.
To his credit, Ramkumar stretched his superior Japanese rival, who had to battle hard for his 7-5, 6-7(3), 7-5 win in two hours and 40 minute match.
Both Ramkumar and Bhosale are still alive in the doubles competitions.
