Rutuja Bhosale raised her game in the nick of time while seasoned Rohan Bopanna stayed solid with his big serves as India came back from a set down to win the tennis mixed doubles gold at the Asian Games on Saturday.
The second-seeded Indian team rallied to win the title clash 2-6, 6-3, 10-4 against Taiwan’s Tsung-hao Huang and En-shuo Liang.
Bhosale struggled with her serve and returns in the opening set, but the 27-year-old redeemed herself from a tight second-set situation, making some stunning returns.
Bopanna said changing sides for returns was game-changing as he moved to the deuce side of the court. “After we lost the first set I said, ‘Let’s change sides to return’. We need something to change the match.”
The men’s doubles team of Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan had won a silver on Friday. However, the two-medal show is India’s worst at the Asian Games since the turn of the century.
Shooters stretch tally to 19
Birthday-boy Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS faltered towards the end to let gold slip out of their hands in the 10m air pistol mixed team, but the silver took India’s medal count from the shooting range to 19 at the Asian Games here on Saturday.
India have so far won six gold, eight silver and five bronze in shooting at the Asian Games, their best-ever showing in the continental showpiece.
The Indian pair was beaten to the gold medal by world champion marksman Zhang Bowen and compatriot Jiang Ranxin, who emerged 16-14 victors in the shoot-off for the top podium finish.
Sarabjot, who had won the men’s 10m air pistol team gold with Arjun Singh Cheema and Shiva Narwal on Thursday, said: “I was a little bit nervous. There was too much shooting pressure.”
Divya, who won her second silver medal, was pleased with her performance. “It does feel good. I liked the way I fought in the finals.”
With inputs from PTI
