Aichi-Nagoya, 01 October (H.S.): Indian wrestler Nitesh Siwach advanced to the men’s Greco-Roman 97kg final at the Asian Games on Thursday, while Mansi Ahlawat suffered a defeat in the women’s 62kg semifinal and will now enter the repechage for a chance to compete for bronze.

Nitesh, the Asian Championship silver medallist, produced a dominant 9-0 victory over Mongolia’s Gankhuyag Ganbaatar to move closer to the gold medal. He had earlier defeated Turkmenistan’s Amanberdi Agamamedov 7-1 in the quarterfinals, building a 7-0 lead in the opening period before securing the win.

Nitesh will now face the winner of the second semifinal between Iran’s Mehdi Balihamzehdeh and Japan’s Yuri Nakazato in the gold-medal bout.

In the women’s 62kg semifinal, Mansi Ahlawat was beaten 6-0 by Japan’s two-time world champion Nonoka Ozaki. Ozaki opened the contest with a takedown for two points before adding another takedown to extend her lead to 4-0. Mansi defended strongly thereafter but was unable to break through Ozaki’s solid defence.

Ozaki added another two points with a takedown in the second period to complete a 6-0 victory and book her place in the final. Mansi, a former World Championship bronze medallist in the 59kg category, will now enter the repechage, where she will have an opportunity to compete for a bronze medal.

India also had mixed results in judo. In the women’s 57kg quarterfinal, Yamini Maurya lost to Mongolia’s Ariunzaya Terbish on a yuko decision. She will now face Japan’s Mio Shirakane in the repechage for a place in the bronze-medal contest.

In the women’s 70kg category, Inungnabi Takhellambam defeated Nepal’s Punam Shrestha by ippon to advance to the quarterfinals. She will face North Korea’s Mun Song Hui in the last eight.

India’s women’s squash team also secured a bronze medal after losing 1-2 to Hong Kong in the semifinal. The semifinal defeat ended India’s hopes of reaching the final, leaving the team with a bronze medal.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar