Sharath-Manika in mixed doubles TT semis, medal assured (Lead)

Jakarta : The Indian mixed doubles tennis pair of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra entered the semi-finals, assuring themselves of a historic medal at the 18th Asian Games here on Wednesday.

Sharath-Manika defeated the North Korean pair of An Ji Song and Cha Hyo Sim 3-2 (4-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-6, 11-8) in 38 minutes in the quater-finals.

Later in the day, Sharath and Manika will meet Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha for a place in the final.

With the losing pairs in the semi-finals set to get a bronze, Sharath and Manika will bring India's first doubles medal at Asiad in the sport.

Another Indian pair, Anthony Amalraj and Madhurika Patkar, lost 1-3 (11-6, 7-11, 5-11, 4-11) to Hong Kong's Ho Kwan Kit and Lee Ho Ching in the pre-quarter-finals.