Asian Games 2026: Yashaswini Ghorpade bows out after battling world No. 3 Miwa Harimoto
Toyota: India’s Yashaswini Ghorpade’s women’s singles campaign at the Asian Games 2026 came to an end in the third round on Saturday, with Japan’s world No. 3 Miwa Harimoto proving too strong for the Indian paddler in Aichi-Nagoya.
The 21-year-old Ghorpade went down 9-11, 5-11, 11-4, 4-11, 5-11 in a contest that saw her produce a spirited response after falling two games behind.
Harimoto established control early, edging out Ghorpade in a closely fought opening game before taking the second with a more comfortable margin. Facing a difficult task against one of the world’s leading players, Ghorpade found her rhythm in the third game and turned the momentum around with an emphatic 11-4 win.
The Japanese paddler, however, quickly restored her authority. Harimoto tightened up her game in the fourth, preventing Ghorpade from building on her comeback, and closed out the contest in the fifth game to advance to the next round.
Ghorpade had earned her place in the third round with a 4-1 victory over Syria’s Hend Zaza. The singles exit brings her individual campaign to a close, after she had also featured in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles competitions at the Games.
Ghorpade and Diya Chitale had reached the women’s doubles quarter-finals before being beaten 0-3 by China’s Fan Shuhan and Chen Yi on Friday. Sreeja Akula and Syndrela Das also exited the doubles competition after a 0-3 defeat to China’s Kuai Man and Wang Manyu in the third round.
India’s table tennis contingent has nevertheless already secured a medal in Nagoya. Manush Shah and Diya Chitale claimed bronze in mixed doubles after reaching the semi-finals, where they lost 0-4 to China’s reigning champions Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha.
The Indian pair had produced a notable quarter-final upset, defeating Hong Kong’s world No. 4 Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem 3-1 before their run was halted by the Chinese duo.