Tokyo Paralympics champion Krishna Nagar led India's para badminton contingent at the Asian Para Games in Nagoya on Saturday, securing a place in the quarterfinals of the men's singles SH6 event. According to ThePrint, Nagar defeated Indonesia's Subhan with scores of 21-13 and 21-15, confirming a top-two finish in Group C with one match remaining. The SH6 category is designated for players of short stature, a classification that defines the competitive field for this specific event.
India extended its lead in the men's singles SL3 category, which is for players with lower-limb impairments who compete standing. ThePrint reported that Paris Paralympics champion Nitesh Kumar defeated Thailand's Natthapol Chamnanwet 21-6 and 21-7, while Tokyo Paralympics winner Pramod Bhagat beat China's Xiong Lichuan 21-17 and 21-16. Other Indian players also advanced in this category, with Umesh Vikram Kumar defeating the Philippines' Khian Kyle Urbano in straight games.
Success continued in the men's singles SL4 and SU5 categories, where Naveen Sivakumar, Surya Kant Yadav, Sukant Kadam, and Abhijeet Sakhuja all recorded victories. In the SU5 event, which features standing players with upper-limb impairments, Ruthick Ragupathi and Hardik Makkar also won their respective matches. India also recorded victories in the wheelchair categories, with Prem Kumar Ale winning in the WH1 event and Haris Mythili securing a win in the WH2 event, although Abu Hubaida suffered a loss to Japan's Reo Oyama.
The women's singles events presented a more challenging picture for the Indian team. ThePrint noted that India endured setbacks in the women's singles SL3 category, where Manasi Joshi, Sanjana Kumari, Neeraj, and Mandeep Kaur all lost their matches. In the SL4 and WH1 categories, Kanak Singh Jadaun and Pallavi Kaluvehalli also fell to opponents from China. Despite these losses, Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan and Thulasimathi Murugesan won their singles matches in the SH6 and SU5 categories, respectively.
Doubles events saw mixed results for the Indian pairing. ThePrint highlighted that Surya Kant and Naveen Sivakumar defeated a Chinese pair in men's doubles SL3-SU5, while Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manasi Joshi beat a Chinese duo in women's doubles. However, several other Indian pairs, including Sukant Kadam and Pramod Bhagat, lost to opponents from South Korea and Indonesia. In mixed doubles, Alphia James and Prem Kumar Ale won, but Krishna Nagar and Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan lost to a Chinese pair in the SH6 category.