Yulia Putintseva wins bronze in women’s singles at Asian Games

Kazakhstan’s No. 2 tennis player Yulia Putintseva secured bronze at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. In the singles semifinal, she lost 4-6, 2-6 to China’s Zhang Shuai.

For around an hour and a half, Putintseva tried to find a way past her second-seeded opponent. However, Zhang consistently outplayed the Kazakhstani at key moments.

This is Putintseva’s first medal at the Asian Games, as well as Kazakhstan’s first in women’s singles.

2026 Asian Games

Tennis. Oct. 1

Women’s singles. Semifinal

Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan, world No. 82) vs. Zhang Shuai (China, world No. 57) 4-6, 2-6

Putintseva continues her run in doubles. Today, she and Anna Danilina will face the strong Chinese pair of Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan in the quarterfinals.

The official opening ceremony of the 2026 Asian Games took place on Sept. 19. Athletes from 45 countries are competing for 460 sets of medals: 217 in men’s events, 204 in women’s events and 39 in mixed events. Kazakhstan is represented by 558 athletes in 35 sports. The event runs through Oct. 4.

After 11 days of competition, Kazakhstan stood ninth in the medal tally.