The 2018 Asian Games marked another important chapter in India’s tennis history.
At the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, India won three tennis medals — one gold and two bronze. Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan captured gold in men’s doubles, while Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ankita Raina both secured bronze in the singles events.
For Bopanna, it was his first Asian Games medal. For Sharan, it was a step up from the men’s doubles bronze he had won with Yuki Bhambri at Incheon four years earlier. For Prajnesh and Ankita, Jakarta–Palembang brought their first Asian Games medals.
Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan: Gold at Last
The men’s doubles was the centrepiece of India’s tennis campaign.
Top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan entered the competition with a bye in the opening round. They then moved through the draw without dropping a match.
Their run was:
- Round of 32: defeated David Agung Susanto / Ignatius Anthony Susanto (Indonesia) — 6–3, 6–3
- Round of 16: defeated Nuttanon Kadchapanan / Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul (Thailand) — 6–3, 6–1
- Quarterfinal: defeated Hsieh Cheng-peng / Yang Tsung-hua (Chinese Taipei) — 6–3, 5–7, [10–1]
- Semifinal: defeated Sho Shimabukuro / Kaito Uesugi (Japan) — 4–6, 6–3, [10–8]
- Final: defeated Alexander Bublik / Denis Yevseyev (Kazakhstan) — 6–3, 6–4.
The semifinal against Japan was the biggest test. After losing the opening set, Bopanna and Sharan recovered to level the match before edging the deciding super tie-break 10–8. Bopanna later highlighted the difficult quarterfinal and semifinal as important preparation for the final.
The final against Kazakhstan’s Bublik and Yevseyev was far more straightforward. India won 6–3, 6–4 in 52 minutes, giving Bopanna his first Asian Games gold and Sharan his first gold after his bronze at Incheon 2014.
The victory also continued India’s remarkable run in men’s doubles. Since 1994, Indian pairs had now won the men’s doubles gold at Hiroshima 1994, Busan 2002, Doha 2006, Guangzhou 2010 and Jakarta–Palembang 2018.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran’s Grit Earns Bronze
In men’s singles, Prajnesh Gunneswaran produced one of the toughest runs of the Indian campaign.
The fourth seed received a first-round bye before beginning his campaign against Indonesia’s Muhammad Rifqi Fitriadi.
His results were:
- Round of 32: defeated Muhammad Rifqi Fitriadi (Indonesia) — 6–2, 6–0
- Round of 16: defeated Ly Hoang Nam (Vietnam) — 6–3, 5–7, 6–4
- Quarterfinal: defeated Kwon Soonwoo (South Korea) — 6–7(2–7), 6–4, 7–6(10–8)
- Semifinal: lost to Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) — 2–6, 2–6.
The quarterfinal against Kwon was the defining moment of his campaign. The match lasted almost four hours, with Prajnesh recovering from losing the opening-set tie-break to force a deciding set. At 6–6 in the third, a rain interruption also gave him time to recover from cramps before he eventually won the deciding tie-break 10–8.
That victory guaranteed Prajnesh a medal.
The following day, however, Uzbekistan’s experienced Denis Istomin proved too strong in the semifinal, winning 6–2, 6–2. Since both losing semifinalists received bronze medals, Prajnesh left Palembang with his first Asian Games medal.
Ankita Raina Makes History
On the women’s side, Ankita Raina delivered another breakthrough for Indian tennis.
The sixth-seeded Raina also received a first-round bye. She then defeated:
- Round of 32: Beatrice Gumulya (Indonesia) — 6–2, 6–4
- Round of 16: Eri Hozumi (Japan) — 6–1, 6–2
- Quarterfinal: Eudice Wong Chong (Hong Kong) — 6–4, 6–1
- Semifinal: lost to Zhang Shuai (China) — 4–6, 6–7(6–8).
Her quarterfinal against Eudice Chong was particularly important. Raina recovered from an early deficit in the first set before winning 6–4, 6–1, guaranteeing herself at least a bronze medal.
The semifinal against top seed Zhang Shuai was a much tougher contest. Raina pushed the Chinese player throughout a match lasting more than two hours, eventually losing 4–6, 6–7(6–8).
The bronze made Raina only the second Indian woman to win an Asian Games singles tennis medal, following Sania Mirza’s silver in 2006 and bronze in 2010.
Three Medals from Palembang
India’s tennis campaign ultimately produced:
| Event | Indian medallist(s) | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Doubles | Rohan Bopanna / Divij Sharan | 🥇 Gold |
| Men’s Singles | Prajnesh Gunneswaran | 🥉 Bronze |
| Women’s Singles | Ankita Raina | 🥉 Bronze |
Total: 1 Gold, 2 Bronze — 3 medals.
Interestingly, India had opportunities for more medals in mixed doubles. Rohan Bopanna and Ankita Raina, the fourth seeds, reached the quarterfinals before losing to Indonesia’s Christopher Rungkat and Aldila Sutjiadi, 4–6, 6–1, [6–10].
Asian Games Fact File
Games: 18th Asian Games
Edition: Jakarta–Palembang 2018
Host: Indonesia
Games dates: August 18 – September 2, 2018
Tennis venue: Jakabaring Tennis Courts, Palembang
Tennis competition: August 19–25, 2018
India’s tennis medals: 3
Gold: 1
Bronze: 2
Gold medallists: Rohan Bopanna & Divij Sharan
Bronze medallists: Prajnesh Gunneswaran & Ankita Raina
Jakarta–Palembang was therefore a three-medal campaign, but an important one. Bopanna and Sharan restored India to the top of the men’s doubles podium, while Prajnesh and Ankita established themselves as Asian Games singles medallists.
Four years later, Indian tennis would arrive at Hangzhou with another generation looking to add to the country’s long Asian Games medal history — and now, with Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on the horizon, the story continues.