Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
Tokyo Paralympics: After losing 11 times, Bhavina Patel beats her Chinese opponent to reach final
Bhavina Patel continues causing massive upsets as she defeats Miao Zhang, the World No. 3 and ends her 11 match winning streak against Patel.
Bhavinaben Patel confirms the first medal for India at the Tokyo Paralympics (Source: ITTF/Cheng Howe Seet)
Bhavina Hasmukhbhai Patel has been the shining star of this edition of the Tokyo Paralympics so far as she has been racing on to unbelievable victories, causing shock upsets.
Making it look like child's play, the paddler from Gujarat, in her debut outing at the prestigious quadrennial event is going toe to toe with the very bests of the game and in fact, giving them a dose of their own device by producing solid performances.
Contesting a thriller against formidable foe, Miao Zhang of China, the World No. 3 paddler, Bhavina was relentless yet calm and composed as she stormed into the finals of the Women's Singles Wheelchair Class 4 event with sheer panache!
Having already confirmed a bronze medal, Bhavina has now confirmed a silver medal at least, as she will lock horns with Chinese top seed Zhou Ying once more for an elusive gold.
Given her form and the winning rampage she is on, Bhavina is not to be underestimated as even though she entered the semi-final as the underdog - she ensured that Miao Zhang's 11-0 streak against her is broken today. What followed was an intense and dramatic semi-final clash that went down to the wire with both players pushing each other to the very extremes.
While Bhavina is playing her first Paralympics, Zhang has already been a silver medallist at the 2016 Rio Games and therefore, has more experience up her sleeve.
Bhavina showed true class as she looked unfazed against her superior opponent, going on to defeat her, 3-2. In fact, this confidence comes from having defeated the reigning Paralympic champion, Serbia's Peric Borislava in the quarter-finals in straight games, 3-0, perhaps.
With this epic victory, Bhavina Patel has sailed into the finals and has brought immense pride to the nation with this stunning victory as she becomes the first paddler - in both Olympic as well as Paralympic sport combined to medal at this level and of course, to be a woman to set the ball rolling, is nothing like it!
