Tokyo Olympics, Table Tennis Day 3, July 26 - Manika to play Round 3, Sharath & Sutirtha to compete in Round 2 - Preview, schedule, LIVE streaming, where to watch

History awaits on Day 3 of the Tokyo Olympics as Manika Batra competes in Round 3 while Achanta Sharath Kamal begins his Olympic journey and Sutirtha Mukherjee backs herself up to continue her winning streak in her debut Olympics.

While the veteran paddler, Sharath Kamal will be facing his first opponent - Portugal's Tiago Apolónia and making his fourth appearance at the Games after he received a bye for Round 1, Sutirtha and Manika will be eyeing to replicate their performances of the previous rounds producing some world-class performances with stellar comebacks and dominating shots.

It was a historic day for the Indian Table Tennis fans on Day 2 as World No. 63 Manika Batra scripted history to storm into Round 3 by beating the higher-ranked opponent Margaryta Pesotska - the World No. 32 by notching a fantastic comeback after being 2 games down. She became the sole table tennis player from India to enter the Round of 32 at the stage of the Olympics.

#ManikaBatra showcased nerves of steel to become the first ever Indian #TableTennis player, male or female, to make it to the last 32 at the #OlympicGames.

Hers was not just a comeback from a 2-game deficit, but that of a much bigger significance.

📽 Watch: 👇#Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/DL7yjfxIL1

— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) July 25, 2021

On the contrary, World No. 38 player Sathiyan Gnanasekaran lost out on capitalising his Olympics debut in a thrilling contest against the lower-ranked Lam Siu Hang of Hong Kong after being 3-1 up. Though his first-half performance was commendable, some poorly timed shots and long rallies shook Sathiyan's grip on the match resulting in a shock defeat.

Achanta Sharath Kamal, ranked 32nd in the world is playing his fourth Olympics and is carrying the hopes of 1.3 billion Indians in the men's singles table tennis after the exit of Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in Round 2. He is placed against Tiago Apolónia from Portugal who is playing his third Olympics.

Tiago Apolónia will be charged up with confidence as he comes to this round by defeating a Nigerian player in straight sets with a score of 4-0. The Portuguese paddler holds the 56th rank in the world and will present a tough challenge to Kamal. Achanta is filled with confidence as he believes his preparation is at an all-time high. With his experience and quality, be prepared to witness a ripper of a contest.

On the other hand, the flawless Manika Batra is full of energy and power as she will take on Sofia Polcanova of Austria in her third round after defeating Ho-Tin Tin of Great Britain in comfortable fashion and Margaryta Pesotska with a brave show. With her two previous wins, she will be aiming to outclass the Austrian paddler who is ranked 16th. Polcanova got a direct bye to the third round and is playing her second Olympics. The task won't be easy for Batra as Sofia is the top-ranked European player and is leading her contingent in the team's event. Will Manika be able to recreate her Round 2 masterclass? We will have to find out tomorrow.

Also on the list is Sutirtha Mukherjee who had an amazing start to her Olympics defeating Linda Bergström of Sweden in fashion in 4-3. The debutant female paddler from West Bengal has high hopes with her last moment entry into the Olympics. World No. 95 Mukherjee will now be facing Fu Yu of Portugal ranked 55 in the second round and is appearing for her second Olympics. Fu Yu faced a second-round exit at the 2016 Rio Olympics and this is her first match in Tokyo. This is going to be a tough but possible win match for Sutirtha if she maintains her cool with each shot.

Schedule and When to Watch?

The table tennis events are going to be held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. All the paddlers will be live in action as they prepare to dominate the table.

Men's Singles - Round 2

Achanta Sharath Kamal (IND) v Tiago Apolonia (POR) not before 6:30 AM

Women's Singles - Round 2

Sutirtha Mukherjee (IND) v Fu Yu (POR) not before 8:30 AM

Women's Singles - Round 3

Manika Batra (IND) v Sofia Polcanova (AUT) not before 01:00 PM

Live Streaming and Where to Watch?

You can catch all the action LIVE on Sony Sports Network channels in India. The coverage will also be on the Sony LIV application or website which you can easily live stream if you have the required subscription. Also, you can watch the matches on Doordarshan (DD) Sports in India.

Here are the details of broadcasters in some more countries:

Japan: The Japan Consortium

USA: NBC Universal

UK: BBC, Eurosport

China: CCTV

Australia: Seven Network

Germany: ARD-ZDF

Brazil: Grupo Globo, Bandsports

Spain: RTVE

Italy: RAI

France: Eurosport

South Africa: SABC