Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Mar 7: India’s men’s team secured a historic first-ever bronze medal at the Wheelchair Tennis World Team Cup Asia Qualification Event 2026 held in Colombo from March 2–6, defeating Chinese Taipei 3–0 in the bronze-medal match. The tournament, organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), serves as Asia’s qualifying competition for the prestigious World Team Cup, often referred to as the “Davis Cup of wheelchair tennis.”
India’s men’s squad featured Shekar Veeraswamy, Basavaraj Kundargi of Karnataka, and Karthik Karunakaran from Tamil Nadu.
India began their campaign with a 0–3 loss to South Korea, followed by another 0–3 defeat against hosts Sri Lanka. However, the team bounced back strongly with a dominant 3–0 victory over Pakistan, setting up a bronze-medal clash.
In the decisive match against Chinese Taipei, Karunakaran defeated Tang Chao-Han 6-1, 6-1, while Veeraswamy beat Wang Wei-Hsuan 6-1, 6-2. The Indian duo then sealed the medal with a convincing doubles win against Cheng Han-Tsung and Tang Chao-Han, finishing 6-1, 6-0.
Coach and captain Peter Vijay Kumar praised the team’s performance, noting that this was the first time the Indian men’s side finished third in the competition. He highlighted the strong teamwork and significant improvement shown by the players, adding that the Asian zone remains one of the toughest regions for qualification.
In the women’s competition, India was represented by Shilpa Kadukothanahalli Puttaraju, Prathima Narayana Rao from Karnataka, and Mubeena Kolakar of Maharashtra.
The women’s team suffered a 0–3 defeat against South Korea and another loss to a strong China side led by Li Xiaohui and Wang Ziying. In their final match against Kazakhstan, India narrowly missed victory, losing 2–1 after the doubles match decided the tie.
Following the qualifiers, Indian players will continue competing in events on the ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour to gain ranking points and international experience as they prepare for the next World Team Cup qualification cycle.