Kazakhstan's No. 2 women's singles player, Yulia Putintseva, has won bronze at the Summer Asian Games in Japan after falling in the semifinals, infohub.kz reports.
In the women's singles semifinal, the Kazakh player faced China's Zhang Shuai. The match lasted 1 hour and 23 minutes and ended in a two-set victory for the Chinese player, 6-4, 6-2.
In the first set, Putintseva managed to challenge her opponent, but Zhang Shuai gained the upper hand late on and closed out the set 6-4. In the second set, the Chinese tennis player consolidated her advantage and won 6-2.
Putintseva thus ended her singles campaign with a bronze medal at the Asian Games. Earlier, in the quarterfinals, the Kazakh player comfortably defeated Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-3, 6-0, securing a place on the podium.
Putintseva's Asian Games campaign is not over, however. The Kazakh player is also competing in the women's doubles alongside Anna Danilina. In the quarterfinals, the Kazakh duo will fight for a place in the semifinals and the chance to win another medal at the Games.