India’s para table tennis campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games got off to an encouraging start on Friday, with experienced campaigner Bhavina Patel leading the way through a commanding victory over Kuwait’s Ahad Alrasheedi. The Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist won 11-6, 11-3, 11-6 in the women’s singles Class 4-5 Group A match, setting the tone for a productive day for the Indian contingent in Nagoya, Japan.
Bhavina, one of India’s established names in para table tennis, controlled the contest from the outset. She took the opening game 11-6 before increasing her advantage with an emphatic 11-3 second-game win. The Indian maintained her composure in the third game, closing it out 11-6 to complete a 3-0 victory without allowing her opponent to extend the contest.
The result gives Bhavina a positive start in a competition where she will be aiming to add to her international medal collection. She won silver in the women’s singles Class 4 event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and bronze at the 2022 Asian Para Games, held in Hangzhou in 2023. Her experience at major championships makes her one of the prominent Indian players to watch in Nagoya.
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games are scheduled from October 18 to 24, 2026, bringing together athletes from across Asia in a multi-sport competition celebrating elite para-sport performance. Baby Sahana Ravi, Shubham Wadhwa also register straight-game wins. India’s positive results extended beyond Bhavina, with Baby Sahana Ravi producing a composed performance in the women’s singles Class 9 Group B event.
She defeated Vietnam’s Thi Hoa Phuong Nguyen 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 to secure a 3-0 win and begin her campaign on a strong note. Sahana controlled the exchanges across all three games, maintaining her advantage to complete the victory.
In the men’s singles Class 3 group stage, Shubham Wadhwa also opened with a straight-games triumph, overcoming Nepal’s Keshav Thapa 11-6, 11-4, 11-9. Wadhwa built his lead through the first two games before facing a closer contest in the third, where he held firm to finish the match in three games. The wins from Sahana and Wadhwa strengthened India’s start across different para table tennis classifications, highlighting the breadth of talent in the contingent.
Jehan Madan wins all-Indian contest against Sandeep Dangi. Jehan Madan completed the list of Indian winners with a 3-1 victory over compatriot Sandeep Dangi in the men’s singles Class 1 group match. Madan won 11-8 and 12-10 to take a two-game lead before Dangi responded with a 12-10 win in the third game. Madan regrouped in the fourth, securing an 11-6 result to close out the match. The contest was the closest among the four Indian victories, with Dangi pushing his opponent before Madan regained control to secure the win.
Para table tennis uses a classification system based on athletes’ functional abilities and the impact of their impairments on playing the sport. Classes 1 to 5 are designated for wheelchair athletes, while Class 9 is among the standing categories. These classifications help ensure athletes compete against opponents with comparable functional abilities.
A promising start for India’s para table tennis contingent. The opening results in Nagoya offer an encouraging foundation for India, with Bhavina Patel’s experience complemented by wins from Sahana Ravi, Shubham Wadhwa and Jehan Madan. Four victories across different classes demonstrate the importance of depth in a team competing across multiple events.
For Bhavina, the priority will be to maintain the consistency that has made her a prominent figure in Indian para table tennis. For the other winners, these opening performances provide an opportunity to build confidence as the group-stage contests continue. The early results are a positive sign, but the focus will now shift to sustaining performance as the competition progresses. With several matches still ahead, India will look to turn this encouraging start into further progress at the Asian Para Games 2026.
