Asian Cup TT: Sreeja, Manav bow out as Indian campaign ends in group stage

Indian paddlers failed to register a single win on the final day of the group stage, bringing India's campaign at the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup in Shenzhen, China, to an end on Friday.

Four Indian paddlers—Sreeja Akula, Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar—were in contention for a knockout stage spot but fell short, losing their respective matches.

With this, India will finish medalless in the 35th edition of the Asian Cup. So far, India has won only three medals in the tournament’s history, including Manika Batra’s historic bronze in the previous edition in 2022.

A winless day for India

The day began with veteran paddler Sharath Kamal facing Japan’s Sora Matsushima in a must-win clash. However, he suffered a straight-game defeat, finishing third in his group.

Next up was India’s top-ranked singles player, Sreeja Akula, who also fell short, losing in straight games to Chinese Taipei’s Tung-Chuan Chien, marking the end of her campaign.

With India’s hopes now resting on Manav Thakkar and Harmeet Desai, the disappointment continued as both suffered defeats against opponents from China and Chinese Taipei, respectively.