Asian Games, Day 9 as it happened: Neeraj Chopra bags gold; men’s TT team ensure historic medal

9.54 pm: Alright then, that’s it for tonight. What a crazy second half it has been! Join us on Tuesday for more.

We’ll leave you with this...

9.50 pm:

Shooting has so far been the most successful sport for India at the 2018 Asian Games with the squad winning nine medals – two gold, four silver and three bronze.

Apart from the final two days, India won a medal daily and missed the final in only five events, finishing third on the medals tally. China topped the tally with eight gold (15 total) and South Korea was second three (12).

Anjali Bhagwat, one of India’s foremost rifle shooters, hailed India’s performance saying that balanced squad the depth of talent in the country.Bhagwat, who is the shooting expert for Sony Pictures Networks during Asian Games, also believed that the biggest change in Indian shooting was that in the mindset, where even at the national level, the competition is tough as everyone is aiming for nothing less than a win.

Read her full column here.

9.36 pm:

9.23 pm: Table Tennis

A special win for Indian table tennis indeed. This is a fitting reward for the phenomenal year they have had.

9.17 pm: TABLE TENNIS

9.12 pm: TABLE TENNIS

Here’s full list of India’s wins. A second-string Japan team, sure but that shouldn’t take anything away from India’s colossal achievement!

(World ranking in brackets)

Sathiyan G (#33) v Jin Ueda (#28) 11-9, 11-9, 11-7
Sharath Kamal (#39) v Kenta Matsudaira (#19) 11-8, 12-10, 11-8
Harmeet Desai (#99) v Masaki Yoshida (#57) 11-9, 12-14, 11-8, 8-11, 4-11
Sathiyan G (#33) v Kenta Matsudaira (#19) 12-10, 6-11, 11-7, 11-4

9.10 pm: TABLE TENNIS

INDIA HAVE DONE IT! SATHIYAN HAS DONE IT! World No 39 Sathiyan has beaten World No 19 Kenta Matsudaira 3-1 in the 4th match of the India-Japan tie to secure a historic TT medal for India. This is the first time that an Indian TT team has reached semis in at the Asian Games. What a win! What a match!

9.04 pm: Table Tennis

On the verge!!

8.57 pm: Table Tennis

Sathiyan leads 2-1!! Once again, India are one game away from winning the tie.

8.52 pm: Table Tennis

Update from Neha in Jakarta. It’s all square....

8:50 pm: STAT ALERT

8.44 pm: ATHLETICS

Dharun Ayyasamy hopes that his Asian Games silver medal in 400m hurdles will be enough to get him a job so that he can support his mother, who raised him single-handedly after the death of his father.

“My father passed away when I was eight years old. My mother has made a lot of sacrifices for me. I owe her this. She is still earning just Rs 14,000 per month as a teacher,” said the 21-year-old from Tirupur in Tamil Nadu.

He now wants to support his mother and is hoping to get a job after his best ever performance.

Dharun produced his personal best timing of 48.96 after he pushed hard in the last 100 metres to clinch a silver.

Read more here.

8.41 pm: TABLE TENNIS

Sathiyan now takes on Kenta Matsudaira (world #19)

8.36 pm: TABLE TENNIS

Harmeet Desai was ONE GAME away from clinching the tie for India but he goes down fighting in 5 games against Yoshida. Up to Sathiyan or Sharath to clinch one of the remaining two matches.

8.31 pm: TABLE TENNIS

Harmeet trailing 3-9 in the decider based on the last update.

8.26 pm: TABLE TENNIS

Harmeet has lost the fourth game and we now head into the decider!

8.25 pm: TABLE TENNIS

Olympian Neha Aggarwal is providing the updates from Jakarta. Harmeet is one game away now!

8.22 pm: Athletics

As we wait for the table tennis scores to update on the site (we are furiously refreshing!!) here’s a look at Sudha Singh’s journey to silver at Asiad.

Sudha followed up her Asian Games gold medal in Guangzhou with a silver medal in women’s 3000 metres Steeplechase in Jakarta and Palembang. She had finished fourth in Incheon four years ago, finishing behind the eventual winner Ruth Jebet, who was initially disqualified then re-instated. Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Singh also made the cut-off for the Rio Olympics at the Federation Cup.

Soon after coming back from Rio however, Singh took ill, diagnosed with swine flu that caused her to stop competing for a while. The 32-year-old steeplechaser also spoke about her frustration of not finding a job in her home state of Uttar Pradesh, soon after winning the Asian Athletics Championships in 2017.

Read more about her here.

8.19 pm: Athletics

Just a few updates to wrap up the athletics live action. Chetan finished 8 in the high jump final, while both Indians in fray in the 800m event - Jinson and Manjit - qualified for the final.

8.07 pm: TABLE TENNIS

This is very doable, folks. Harmeet can win this for India, right here, right now without Sathiyan and Sharath having to take on their top two players in the other fixtures.

7.55 pm: TABLE TENNIS

This is huge!! Sharath Kamal has beaten world No 19 Kenta Matsudaira and India have a 2-0 lead against Japan!! Whisper it... India have never won a medal in Table Tennis at the Asiad. They are now one win against Japan – not the strongest side but still higher ranked, mind you – from achieving it.

(No coverage, though... which is disappointing)

7.44 pm: ATHLETICS

Sudha Singh , with a message to her doubters

7.37 pm: MEDAL MOMENTS!

Dharun, silver medallist from 400m hurdles, all smiles...

And Neena Varakil, in the footsteps of Anju Bobby George... a proud moment!

7.34 pm: BOXING

Quick update from the boxing arena from R. Vishal:

India suffered its first disappointment of the day in the boxing ring as Mohammed Hussamuddin lost to Mongolia’s Kharkhuu Enkh-Amar in the bantamweight round of 16 match. Neither boxers deserved to lose this contest, which was so evenly matched. In the early stages of the second round, though, Enkh-Amar landed the most telling punches despite being floored by Hussamuddin in the closing stages of the bout.

Dheeraj Rangi, then, moved to the quarter-finals, winning his 64 kg match by a 3-0 margin, tactically outmaneuvering Kyrgyzstan’s Nurlan Kobashev. Both boxers threw everything they had, but the Indian clearly came out on top after wearing Kobashev down.

Three wins out of four bouts for India on Monday, then.

7.27 pm: Table Tennis

Alright, time for the men’s team event quarter-final & India have made a great start to the tie! Sathiyan beats world No 28 Jin Ueda in straight games to give India a 1-0 lead. Japan are not fielding their strongest team at the Games but this is a solid effort!

Stats from that game here...

7.25 pm: Athletics - Men’s 800m qualification

In all the madness, there were two Indians in the fray in the 800m qualification and both of them have made it through to the final. Jinson Johnson was impressive, finishing with the best time. Manjit Singh was 8th.

7.18 pm: Table Tennis

Manika Batra loses the 4th match of the tie 8-11, 8-11, 11-13 against world No 13 Hoi Kem Doo. A creditable fight by the Indian team against Hong Kong.

Manika beat world No 20, then lost a tough match against the 13. Mouma Das ran the world No 33 close a well. A creditable fight by the Indian team against Hong Kong. India 1-3 Hong Kong

7.15 pm: Athletics - What an evening this has been.

7.03 pm: Table Tennis

Oh! Mouma Das loses a tough match against Wai Yam Minnie, the world No 33 – the score reads 6-11, 13-11, 11-8, 3-11, 5-11. India trail 1-2 against Hong Kong now. Can Manika Batra keep them in the tie?

This is turning into quite the effort by India though.

Meanwhile, the quarter-final draw for men’s table tennis team event is here and India have been handed a tough draw. They face world No 3 Japan. (If only they could have beaten Taipei last night, eh?)

6.58 pm: ATHLETICS

There it is, the official confirmation. Chopra, a rockstar.

Remember there was no doubt over the gold medal as such but to do while improving the national record, makes this special. Mission 90 next?

Shivpal Singh, India’s other competitor here, finished with a 74.11m throw. He made only two attempts, the other being a foul.

6.50 pm: NEERAJ CHOPRA, TAKE A BOW!

Chopra breaks the run of six silvers from track and field to clinch India’s second gold medal (after Tajinderpal) from athletics and 8th overall with a new national mark of 88.06. All his registered throws were better than the second placed Liu Qizhen!

6.44 pm: GOLD MEDAL ALERT!

He was expected to deliver, he delivers it in style, breaking his national record yet again. Neeraj Chopra, take a bow!

6.38pm: BOXING

Enkh-Amar wins 3:2 on points! Heartbreak for India’s Hussamuddin in the bantamweight round of 16 clash. Neither boxer deserved to lose this one.

The last Indian pugilist to be in action will be Dheeraj Rangi, who faces Kyrgyzstan’s Nurlan Kobashev

6.33 pm: NEENA HAS DONE IT! SILVER MEDAL ALERT!!!

With a best jump of 6.51m, Neena bags a long jump silver! She stayed ahead of the tight chasing pack for the most part by just one centimeter! Brilliant..

6.29 pm: ATHLETICS - Men’s Steeplechase 3000m

Just an update on the earlier event, Shankar Lal finished 8th with a timing of 8:43.43. Iran bagged the gold there.

6.24 pm: ATHLETICS - JAVELIN THROW

The star man returns for the fourth attempt and goes 80-plus again. As things stand, Neeraj Chopra has the top three throws across the field in this final. Domination!

6.17 pm: TABLE TENNIS

Elsewhere, Ayhika Mukherjee loses the 2nd match of the tie, Hong Kong level things up 1-1.

6.16 pm: Athletics - Women’s Long Jump

Good going in the final by Neena Varakil! She has improved her mark by 0.01 metres, and keeps her second place. Nayana James is out after failing to finish in the top 8 after 3 jumps.

6.11 pm : ATHLETICS - MEN’s STEEPLECHASE 3000m FINAL

Shankar Lal Swami is India’s representative in the men’s 3000 metre steeplechase. Can he follow Sudha Singh’s silver with a special performance of his own?

6.08 pm: ATHLETICS - SILVER FOR SUDHA

Sudha had won the gold medal in the steeplechase 8 eight years ago at Guangzhou. She followed that up with a silver tonight. Great run from her.

6.02 pm: SILVER MEDAL ALERT! SUDHA SINGH DOES IT AGAIN!

Sudha Singh is the silver medallist in the 3000 metres steeplechase. It’s the 32-year-old’s second Asian Games medal.

6 pm: NEERAJ CHOPRA BREAKS THE NATIONAL RECORD YET AGAIN!

WHAT. AN. ATHLETE! It’s another national record for Neeraj Chopra! It’s 88.06 for the 20-year-old. This is exceptional from the junior world champion and it should be more than enough for gold. That’s his best throw this year, too, obviously going past his 87.43 at the Diamond League in Doha.

5.57 pm: ATHLETICS

Women’s Long Jump Final: Good stuff from Neena! She has improved her mark to 6.50 and moves to the second spot (for now) – it’s a very tight fight for bronze and silver.

5.53 pm: BOXING

More from R Vishal on India’s second win in boxing today: “Amit Panghal (49 kg) came out trumps in defence and attack to defeat Mongolia’s Kharkhuu Enkhmandakh to move to the quarter-finals with a resounding 5-0 win by unanimous decision. The Commonwealth Games silver medallist wore down his opponent in the first two rounds with deft footwork and showing an upright guard. It was tight bout in the first two rounds but the Indian put the result beyond his opponent in the final round. With less than 30 seconds to go, Kharkhuu received a standing count after Panghal landed a ferocious hook.”

India’s Mohammed Hussamuddin will face off against Mongolia’s Kharkhuu Enkh-Amar in the bantamweight round of 16. The bout will get underway around 6:15 pm IST.

5.50 pm: ATHLETICS

More details from Arka Bhattacharya on India’s 4th track silver medal: “Dharun had created quite a flutter at this year’s Federation Cup, breaking Joseph Abraham’s 10-year-old record in the 400 metre hurdles. At the Asian Games though, Dharun has absolutely smashed his own national record, replacing 49.45 secs with 48.96, almost half a second shaved off. He also becomes the 1st Indian man to go under 49 seconds.”

5.49 pm: ATHLETICS

BRILLIANCE FROM DHARUN! He has smashed the national record with that final push in his race. Broke Joseph Abraham’s NR at Fed Cup which was 49.55s. Dharun ran a sub-49!

5.43 pm: ATHLETICS

Javelin Throw: Shivpal Singh, the second India in fray, in his 1st attempt has a 74.11 metre throw, that puts him in the middle of the pack. Neeraj Chopra’s second attempt is a foul but he is still in the lead.

Women’s Long Jump: Neena is consistent with her efforts, follows her 6.41m with a 6.40m but just slips from the 3rd position. Nayana improved her mark to 6.14m in the second round.

5.37 pm: BOXING

Amit Panghal beat Mongolia’s Kharkhuu 5-0 to move to the quarter-finals of the 49kg category.

5.35 pm: ATHLETICS - SILVER MEDAL ALERT!

He’s done it! Ayyasamy Dharun with a superb race, comes from behind in the final stretch and sets a new national record. Fabulous from the Tamil Nadu hurdler.

5.32 pm: ATHLETICS - MEN’s 400m HURDLES FINAL

Potentially India’s first medal upcoming. Two Indians in action. Dharun and Tamizharasan.

5.28 pm: TABLE TENNIS

This is going to be a massive task still, but Manika Batra has given India a 1-0 lead in the quarterfinal with a win over the world No. 20. Good start, this! Ayhika is next for India.

5.23 pm: ATHLETICS - Women’s 400m hurdles final

No medal for India in the first track final for the day. Anu Raghavan finishes fourth, but is far off the bronze medal position. Jauna Murmu is sixth. Next up, the men’s 400 metre hurdles.

5.21 pm: ATHLETICS - JAVELIN THROW

Here we go! Neeraj Chopra starts with a 83.46m (not among his best efforts this year) and zooms into the lead.

5.16 pm: ATHLETICS

Women’s long jump: Neena Varakil first up and starts with a 6.41m and goes first temporarily. Nayana James starts off with a 6.08m in her first attempt.

Meanwhile, here’s a look on why Neeraj Chopra starts as the favourite,

5.14 pm: BOXING

Amit Panghal will soon be in action as well. Stay tuned for updates.

5.10 pm: ATHLETICS

Alright, it’s time to get busy!

First up, women’s long jump final. Here’s the start list, with two Indians in the fray.

4.55 pm: ATHLETICS

We are not far away from the start of athletics action tonight and there is plenty to look forward to from an Indian perspective. Main event, of course, is Neeraj Chopra’s Javelin Throw Final.

4.49 pm: Table Tennis

The women’s team’s quarter-final is underway with Manika Batra taking on world No 20 Ho Ching Lee in the first match of the tie. Stay tuned for updates.

4.43 pm: ATHLETICS

Hima Das’ victory at the IAAF Under-20 World Championships made her the first Indian track medallist at a global meet, senior or junior. While her rise was steady, that was the moment the whole of India stood up and took notice. It isn’t often you see an Indian sprint for gold at the global level.

Riding on that high, Das came in to the Asian Games knowing a gold would be a stretch. Her main competition was Bahraini quarter-miler Salwa Eid Naser who broke Ma Yuqin’s long-standing Asian record of 49.81 seconds set in 1993. Naser had gone below 50 seconds an incredible five times this year and as a 19-year-old, had pipped Allyson Felix to the silver medal at the Athletics World Championships.

As it turned out, she was the only real competition to Das as the Indian sprinted her way to a thoroughly deserved silver medal, breaking the national record twice in two days.

Read more about her meteoric rise here.

4.38 pm: BADMINTON

India ace Saina Nehwal on Monday said that she was happy to open her medal account at the Asian Games but insisted that it was finishing on the top of the podium that counts.

Nehwal was defeated by the irresistible Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei 17-21, 14-21 in a 32-minute contest. Despite being defeated Nehwal walked away with the bronze medal after inexplicably missing out in the previous edition, and in 2010, a time when the 28-year-old was in a superb run of form. “I had two chances (2010, 2014) and both quarters (lost), this time being unseeded I could have faced anyone but the draw was favourable,” Nehwal said.

Read more here.

4.29 pm: HOCKEY

Rani Rampal’s hat-trick helps India beat Thailand 5-0 and finish atop Pool B. Read here.

4.20 pm: BADMINTON

[Replug]

It was probably apt that Nehwal reached there first, thanks to the scheduling of the matches and would therefore be the first Indian women’s singles player to be assured of a medal in the Asian Games. Given the 28-year-old’s contribution in raising the profile of the sport in the country, she well and truly deserved the honour to end the 36-year medal drought on Sunday.

With a bronze medal in Indonesia, a resilient Saina Nehwal breaks her Asian Games hoodoo. Read more here.

4.07 pm: Table Tennis

Harmeet Desai wins his match as well, and India are assured of their progress to the quarterfinal in the men’s team event.

4.00 pm: Table Tennis

Manika Batra, who will be in action soon, spoke recently about her preparation and hopes for the Asiad.

3.50 pm: Athletics - Men’s Javelin Throw

Looking slightly ahead to the main event of this evening, Neeraj Chopra, if his throws in 2018 are anything to go by, is the odds-on favourite to clinch the Asian Games title in Jakarta and Palembang.The 20-year-old has had the best season of his career thus far, even breaking his own national record at the Diamond League meet in Doha, Qatar. The impressive feat has been achieving consistency, with five throws above 85 metres.\

Read more in our preview here.

3.45 pm: Table Tennis

Just a little more on India’s quarterfinal lineup in the women’s team event. Hong Kong China are ranked 4th in the ITTF team standings. They have three players in the top 50 while India have just Manika Batra in top 100. Fair to say it’s going to be a herculean task.

3.40 pm: Table Tennis

After Sathiyan was pushed to five games in the first match, Sharath Kamal has given India a 2-0 lead against Vietnam with a straight games win in this must-win tie. Should be straightforward for India to wrap this up now.

3.28 pm: Table tennis

The quarter-final lineup for the women’s team event has been announced. Manika Batra and Co take on Hong Kong in the last eight. Tough fixture, but a win will guarantee a medal.

3.22 pm: Here’s the winning moment from PV Sindhu’s semi-final victory over Akane Yamaguchi...

3.20 pm: Table tennis

Sathiyan G has won the first game to put India 1-0 up against Vietnam. India are two more wins away from progressing to the quarter-finals.

3.10 pm: Boxing

India’s Vikas Krishan wins his round of 16 bout against Pakistan’s Tanveer Ahmed 5-0 as all five judges award the Indian 10 points in each of the three rounds. Ahmed was given nine points by all judges.

2.55 pm: Take a bow, you two!

2.53 pm: Badminton

Heartbreak for Indonesia! Anthony Ginting had a match point against Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen. If he had converted it, he would have secured an all-Indonesian final with Jonatan Christie. However, Chou Tien Chen had other plans as he saved the match point, won the second game and went on to take a thrilling match 16-21, 23-21, 21-17.

2.43 pm: Table tennis

Time for India’s final group stage match in the men’s team event. Vietnam, the opponents. Winner progresses to the next round. India have fielded their best lineup – Sathiyan, Sharath Kamal and Harmeet.

2.35 pm: Cycling track

The Indian men’s team finishes last in the pursuit round of qualification, thereby not making the cut for the final.

1.44 pm: Meanwhile, some more good news for Dutee Chand...

1.40 pm: Karate

India’s Vishal loses his men’s 84 kg quarter-final match against Uzbekistan’s Akhatov Shakhboz 0-8.

12.59 pm: If you missed the Sindhu vs Yamaguchi match, here is our report.

12.57 pm: Cycling

In women’s team pursuit, India finish fifth in qualification but all five teams are through to the final.

12.55 pm: Sailing

India finish eighth and last in both Race 9 and Race 10 of the Mixed RS One category.

12.54 pm: Canoe

India finish third in the tail race, which is not a medal race, of the men’s TBR 1,000m behind Myanmar and Singapore.

12.48 pm: Badminton

So it will be PV Sindhu vs Tai Tzu Ying in the women’s singles final on Tuesday, which will begin at 10.30 am. Make sure you take a half day at work because this promises to be a blockbuster!

12.45 pm: Badminton

She’s done it! PV Sindhu becomes the first Indian to reach the final of any badminton event at the Asian Games as she wraps up the deciding game comprehensively, 21-10. Yamaguchi just shut down in the second half of that game.

12.37 pm: Squash

The Indian men’s team beat Indonesia 3-0 in their pool match. Next up, a pool match against Singapore later today.

12.36 pm: Badminton

Yamaguchi hits a tired cross-court shot into the net to give Sindhu a 13-8 lead in the third game. Sindhu still looks like she’s got some juice left in the tank.

12.32 pm: Badminton

Sindhu takes a 11-7 lead into the final interval of this match. Can she hold on to secure a spot in the final?

12.31 pm: Badminton

And now it’s Yamaguchi’s turn to be floored after a Yuuuuge rally that is won by Sindhu. The Indian leads 10-5 in the first game.

12.27 pm: Badminton

Sindhu steps up the aggression and even puts on a strong defence to open up a five-point lead in the third game. It’s 9-4 to the Indian and she should be able to hold on till the end from here.

12.26 pm: Hockey

The Indian women’s team pool match against Thailand is about to begin. You can follow it here in our hockey live blog.

12.24 pm: Badminton

Sindhu is on the floor after a lucky net point for Yamaguchi early in the third game. She needs to show some better body language for sure.

12.20 pm: Cycling track

India’s 46.862s in the men’s team sprint qualification puts them 9th in the overall standings. They are out of medal contention.

12.19 pm: Badminton

Akane Yamaguchi wins the second game 21-15 and we are into a decider! Sindhu was leading 10-6 at one stage before Yamaguchi launched her fightback. The momentum is with the Japanese now.

12.17 pm: Volleyball

China dominate India to win in straight sets 25-18, 25-19, 25-9 in their pool match.

12.15 pm: Badminton

Some insane retrieving skills displayed by Yamaguchi as she opens up a four-point lead for herself in the second game. It’s 16-12 to the Japanese. Looks like we’re headed for a decider.

12.08 pm: Badminton

Sindhu had a 10-6 lead before Yamaguchi wins five on the trot to take a 11-10 lead into the interval. Sindhu should guard herself against not letting up now. She was in control of this match less than five minutes ago.

12.02 pm: Badminton

It’s tight again in the second game, with Sindhu leading 6-4.

11.56 am: Badminton

Sindhu gets five game-point opportunities for herself. Yamaguchi manages to save two and engages Sindhu in a long rally, only to hit her down-the-line smash wide. Sindhu wins the first game 21-17.

11.51 am: Cycling track

In the women’s team sprint event, Deborah and Sonali finish 7th in qualification and are not in contention for a medal.

11.48 am: Badminton

Sindhu maintains a gap between her and Yamaguchi in the second half of the first game. She currently leads 16-12.

11.43 am: Badminton

Sindhu and Yamaguchi go neck-and-neck early in the match before some errors from Yamaguchi allow Sindhu to take a three-point lead into the first interval. Sindhu leads 11-8.

11.37 am: Badminton

It’s a tight start to Sindhu vs Yamaguchi, with the Indian currently leading, only just, 5-4 in the first game.

11.35 am: Squash

After three individual bronze medals, the squash teams are in action. Going by form and history book, expect medals here. In progress:

Men’s team vs Indonesia (leading 1-0)

Women’s team v Iran

11.32 am: Table tennis

With Sharath & Sathiyan rested, the Indian men’s team makes short work of Macau, easing to a 3-0 win. Manav Thakkar completes the formalities with a straight-game win over Mak Tin Ian.

11.30 am: Canoe

India finish fourth in the men’s TBR 1,000m semi-finals, which means they qualify for the B-final. This means they are out of medal contention.

11.26 am: Badminton

There’s still hope for India to have a finalist in the women’s singles, with PV Sindhu set to take on Akane Yamaguchi for the fifth time this year. Sindhu has won three out of the last four meetings against the Japanese world No 2.

11.18 am: Table tennis

Harmeet Desai has won the second match in the men’s team tie between India and Macau, needing four games to get past Zikang Xiao. Young Manav Thakkar up next as India rest Sathiyan G and Sharath Kamal.

11.15 am: Badminton

Not that Saina would want any reminding, but this was her 10th straight defeat to Tai Tzu Ying.

11.11 am: Badminton

Saina’s lead does not last long as Tai Tzu switches a gear and quickly wraps up the second game 21-14. She won seven straight points from 14-14! Saina will have to be content with a bronze, but it’s a historic medal at that – the first in badminton singles for India since Syed Modi’s bronze in 1982.

11.08 am: Cycling track

The sprint events begin today and a fair few familiar Indian names are in action, including Esow Alban, fresh from his Junior World Champion medal.

11.07 am: Table tennis

India start their men’s team group match against Macau with a win. Anthony Amalraj beats Chun Wang 11-7, 11-3, 11-4.

11.05 am: Badminton

Saina Nehwal goes ahead in the match for the first time! It’s 13-12 to the Indian in the second game.

11.03 am: Badminton

Saina goes on the attack and wins herself a couple of points to draw level again at 10-10 but then nets a simple dribble to hand Tai Tzu a one-point lead at the interval.

11 am: Badminton

Saina’s turn to make some errors as Tai Tzu retakes the lead. It’s 9-6 to the Taiwanese.

10.58 am: Badminton

Some errors from Tai Tzu and a bit of luck allows Saina to level it 6-6. She’s won four points on the trot!

10.55 am: Badminton

Tai Tzu Ying opens up an early lead for herself again in the second game. It’s 5-1 to the Taiwanese.

10.52 am: Badminton

Tai Tzu Ying gets herself four game-point opportunities. Saina saves one of them but cannot go further as she loses the first game 17-21.

10.49 am: Badminton

She can’t as Tai Tzu again open up a four-point lead for herself. It’s 19-15 to the world No 1.

10.47 am: Badminton

A few errors from Tai Tzu allows Saina to close down the gap to 14-16 in the first game. Can she take the lead?

10.45 am: Badminton

And just like that, Tai Tzu starts to run away with the game, winning four straight points after the interval to make it 15-10 to herself.

10.43 am: Badminton

A pumped up Saina Nehwal does really well to trail Tai Tzu Ying by just one point in the first game as we enter the interval, but you get the feeling the world No 1 is still not in top gear yet. Still, Saina looks determined and charged up.

10.39 am: Badminton

Saina is shrieking after every point she wins as she levels the score to 8-8 in the first game.

10.37 am: Badminton

Saina lets out some huge “come on!” cries as she wins two back-to-back points to close the gap to 4-5 after Tai Tzu had opened up an early lead for herself.

10.30 am: We’re up and away....Saina Nehwal vs Tai Tzu Ying!

10.27 am: Aparna Popat is all excited for the badminton women’s singles semi-finals. Are you?

10.24 am: Badminton

It’s almost time for the first women’s singles semi-final, between Saina Nehwal and Tai Tzu Ying. Remember, Saina has not won a single match against Tai Tzu in their last nine meetings. The Indian’s last win over the Taiwanese came in the 2013 Swiss Open.

10.05 am: Sepaktakraw

Nepal briefly fought back in the second set when they were leading 11-6 at the mid-game interval. But the Indians were in no mood for a deciding set as they stepped it up and wrapped up the match 21-5, 21-15.

9.52 am: Karate

India’s Jayendran Sharath Kumar loses his round of 32 match to Korea’s Kim Muil in the men’s 75 kg category.

9.50 am: Canoe

India finish second in the repechage round of the men’s TBR 1,000m, which means they qualify for the semi-finals.

9.49 am: Sepaktakraw

India win the first set comfortably against Nepal. If they win the next one, the match is theirs.

9.33 am: Sepaktakraw

India’s men’s regu preliminary group match against Nepal is about to begin. Stay tuned...

9.30 am: Canoe

India finish last in their men’s TBR 1,000m heat with a timing of 4:54.198 and will head into the repechage round.

8.58 am: Pencak Silat

The women’s singles final is over and here are the medallists. India was not in contention.

8.55 am: ICYMI, here is Abhijeet Kulkarni on Saina Nehwal finally breaking her Asian Games hoodoo.

8.25 am: ICYMI, it was a great day for Indian athletics on Sunday. Hima Das, Muhammed Anas and Dutee Chand clinched silver medals after finishing second in their respective events at the 18th Asian Games. That’s three medals from three premier track events. Here is a round-up and some Twitter reactions.

8 am: Over in badminton, we could be set for an all-Indonesian final in the men’s singles after Anthony Ginting continued his giant-killing spree by stunning Olympic champion Chen Long in the quarter-finals on Sunday. Ginting beat Chen 21-19, 21-11 to enter the semis, after dispatching world champion Kento Momota on Saturday.

Ginting will now face Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen, who beat NG Ka Long Angus of Hong Kong 21-18, 21-18. In the other semi-final, Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, who knocked All England champion Shi Yuqi out in the first round, will take on Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto.

Here are the last couple of points of the Ginting-Chen Long match, with Indonesian commentary as a bonus:

7.53 am: ICYMI, China’s Su Bingtian won the 100 metres title after setting an Asian Games record of 9.92 seconds on Sunday, missing out on a new continental best by a whisker. The 28-year-old streaked away to win the final ahead of Nigerian-born Qatari Tosin Ogunode – the younger brother of Femi Ogunode, with whom Su shares the Asian mark of 9.91, reported AFP.

Here is a video of the race (it sounds even better with Mandarin commentary):

Good morning and welcome to The Field’s live blog for day nine of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang.

After a medal-filled Sunday for the Indian contingent, action resumes in full swing on Monday. Athletics and badminton will be the main focus. Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be in action in one of the many finals featuring Indians in athletics.

But that’s in the evening. In the morning, all eyes will be on Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu after the duo created history by becoming the first and second Indian women to win singles badminton medals at the Asian Games. On Monday, they would look to go one step further and set up an all-Indian final.

If you missed Sunday’s action, here is a round-up.