Indian mixed martial artist Suchika Tariyal assured India of its first medal at the Asian Games after advancing to the semifinal of the women’s traditional 60kg MMA event in Nagoya on Sunday.
Suchika defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa to book her place in the last four.
Baigalmaa came out aggressively in the second and final round, looking to turn the contest in her favour. However, Suchika held firm defensively despite sustained pressure.
As Baigalmaa continued her attacks, Suchika produced a crucial reversal and took her opponent to the ground. She maintained control until the end of the round to secure the victory and a place in the semifinal.
Meanwhile, the Indian women’s table tennis team began its Asian Games campaign on a winning note, defeating Indonesia 3-0 in their Group F encounter.
Sreeja Akula gave India the lead with a 3-1 victory over N. Maharani in the opening match. Diya Chitale then extended India’s advantage with a 3-0 win over A. Nebuchadnezzar.
Yashaswini Ghorpade completed the clean sweep, defeating C. Rasmi 3-0 in the third match.
Earlier, India’s campaign in Teqball ended without a medal after the mixed doubles pair lost 0-2 to Vietnam in the bronze-medal match.
Vietnam prevailed 12-9, 12-6, ending India’s three medal opportunities in Teqball at the sport’s Asian Games debut.
-ANI
