ATTU YouTube screengrab of Yashaswini-Harmeet on the left and SAI photo on the right.

India’s mixed doubles pair of Yashaswini Ghorpade and Harmeet Desai assured itself of a medal at the Asian Table Tennis Championships on Friday. Yashaswini-Harmeet beat South Korea’s Ganghyeon Park and Daeun Lee in a tense five-setter in the quarterfinals to guarantee at least a bronze.

Both losing semi-finalists get bronze medals at the Asian Table Tennis Championships.

This ends a 72-year medal wait for India in the event. Yatin Vyas and Meena Parande had won the silver medal in the 1954 edition. Gool Nasikwala and Kalyan Jayant, who struck gold in 1952, are the only other mixed doubles duo from the nation to have stood on the podium in the continental championships.

Yashaswini-Harmeet edged out Park-Lee 11-6, 8-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9 in 42 minutes.…