Bengaluru, 07 March (H.S.): The Indian men's wheelchair tennis team scripted history by clinching their first-ever bronze medal at the BNP Paribas Wheelchair World Team Cup Asia Qualification Event 2026 in Colombo, defeating Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the bronze-medal playoff.Hosted by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) from March 2-6 and dubbed wheelchair tennis's Davis Cup, the tournament paves the way for Asia's qualifiers to the main World Team Cup.
India's squad featured top-ranked Shekhar Veeraswami (world No. 210), Basavaraj Kundargi (No. 185), and Kartik Karunakaran from Tamil Nadu (No. 351).After early setbacks—0-3 losses to Republic of Korea and hosts Sri Lanka—the team staged a stunning comeback, thrashing Pakistan 3-0 before sealing bronze against Chinese Taipei.
Key wins included Karunakaran's 6-1, 6-1 over Tang Chao-Han (No. 84) and Veeraswami's 6-1, 6-2 triumph against Wang Wei-Hsuan (No. 92), capped by a 6-1, 6-0 doubles rout.Coach and captain Peter Vijay Kumar hailed the coordinated effort, noting Asia's qualification as the toughest path to the world group. India's women—Shilpa Kadukothanahalli Puttaraj (No. 70), Pratima Narayan Rao (No. 83), and Mubina Kolakar (No. 112)—faced defeats against Korea, China, and Kazakhstan despite close contests.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
