Asian Games: Indian men's & women's teams beat Singapore; Sathiyan savours a perfect day

The Indian men's and women's table tennis teams started off their Asian Games campaigns in Hangzhou in blazing fashion on Friday with wins against Singapore men's and women's teams in their respective preliminary Pool F ties. The Indian men's team, led by Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, also beat Yemen 3-0.

The men's team commenced their journey with a resounding victory over Yemen in the preliminary round of Pool F at the Asian Games 2023. The Indian men's team, featuring Achanta Sharath Kamal, G Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, and Manush Shah, proved too strong for Yemen.

Sathiyan, with his lightning-fast moves, faced Yemen's Omar Ahmed Ali and secured a dominant victory, scoring 11-3, 11-2, 11-6. Following suit, the seasoned Sharath Kamal displayed his expertise against Ebrahim Abdulhakim Mohamm Gurban, winning 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 in under 17 minutes. The victory was sealed with a third consecutive win by Harmeet Desai, who triumphed over Magd Ahmed Ali with a scoreline of 11-1, 11-1, 11-7.

Sathiyan, Harmeet excel

In the subsequent encounter against Singapore, the Indian men's team continued to exhibit their resilience and skills. Sathiyan faced off against Izaac Yong, enduring an initial setback but making a magnificent comeback to win three consecutive games (5-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9). Harmeet Desai added to the team's success by defeating Yew En Koen Pang with a score of (12-10, 11-8, 6-11, 6-11, 11-5) to give India a 2-0 lead in the tie.

With India standing a chance to win 3-0, Sharath Kamal faced a tough battle against Zhu Yu Clarance Chew as he conceded the first game 11-13. In the second game, too, Sharath lost a close game 11-9 to give away a 0-2 lead to Chew.

The veteran India paddler would stay afloat in the game by winning the third game 12-10 coming back from two match points down. Sharath would eventually concede the match 1-3 as Singapore made a comeback to make it 2-1 in the tie.

Sathiyan, playing his second of the tie and the day's third, maintained his form and took an 11-7 against Pang, who made a turnaround in the second game at 12-10. Sahtiyan would make a comeback to regain his lead in the third game (11-9) and sealed the contest in the fourth (11-6) for him as well as India. India beat Singapore 3-1.

Sreeja, Ayhika stand out for the women's team

On the women's front, the Indian team, consisting of Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Ayhika Mukherjee, and Diya Chitale, engaged in a spirited clash with Singapore during the Group F Preliminary round. Ayhika Mukherjee led the charge in the first match against Jian Zeng, securing an early victory in the first set with a score of 11-7. However, she faced setbacks in the subsequent three sets (11-2, 11-7, 12-10).

Manika, facing off against Jingyi Zhou in the second match of the tie, displayed her resilience and clinched the decider after a slip-up in the second set (11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3). Sreeja Akula, in a closely contested match, recovered from her first-game loss to Xin Ru Wong at 14-12 to win the second set 11-9. Despite a comfortable lead in the third game, Sreeja faced a setback, allowing Xin Ru to make a comeback and win 11-8. However, Sreeja bounced back and secured victory with an 11-7 score, providing India with a crucial lead.

Manika Batra faced off against Jian Zeng, initially leading but ultimately conceding the game (11-3, 3-11, 12-10, 10-12, 12-10). The fate of the match rested on Ayhika's shoulders, and she delivered in style by defeating Zhou in the final match, sealing the deal for India with a 3-2 victory (11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5).

With this remarkable performance, the Indian women's team conquered Singapore and will now prepare to face Nepal in their next challenge. The Indian contingent continues to impress and make their mark at the 2023 Asian Games.