India’s table tennis journey at the Asian Games came to an unfortunate end on Tuesday, as both the men’s and women’s teams were eliminated without securing any medals in the team events. The women’s team faced a tough match against North Korea in the quarterfinals, losing 0-3. Sreeja Akula, Yashaswini Ghorpade, and Diya Chitale all suffered defeats in their respective matches.
Sreeja Akula took the lead for India, facing Kum Yong Kim. Despite her earlier success in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Thailand, she struggled in this match, losing 7-11, 6-11, and 5-11. Yashaswini Ghorpade followed against Song Gyong Pyon, needing a win to keep India in the contest, but she too fell short, losing 4-11, 3-11, and 6-11.
Diya Chitale had the tough task of winning against Su Yong Cha to extend the match. She put up a fight but ultimately lost 9-11, 7-11, and 8-11, sealing a clean sweep for North Korea. Prior to this, India had reached the quarterfinals after a hard-fought victory over Thailand, where they came back from a 1-2 deficit, thanks in large part to Yashaswini’s two wins.
In that earlier match, Sreeja managed a crucial win against Olympian Suthasini Sawettabut, finishing with scores of 9-11, 11-6, 12-10, and 11-8. Unfortunately, the result means India will have to wait longer for its first medal in the women’s team event at the Asian Games.
Historically, India has earned three bronze medals in table tennis at the Asian Games. The men’s team won the country’s first-ever medal in the sport at the Jakarta 2018 Games. Moreover, Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra secured bronze in mixed doubles, while at Hangzhou 2023, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee achieved India’s first medal in women’s doubles with a bronze.
### Men’s Team Also Eliminated
The Indian men’s table tennis team also faced disappointment, ending their campaign after a 1-3 loss. Harmeet Desai began strong against Jang Woo-jin, winning the first game 11-8. However, Jang turned the tide, winning the next three games with scores of 11-7, 11-8, and 11-9.
Manush Shah then took on Oh Jungsung but lost the first game 4-11. He rebounded to win the next two games, regaining his rhythm. Manush took the fourth game 13-11, pushing it to a final game. However, the Korean player held his nerve and won the deciding game 11-6, finishing the match 3-2.
With the pressure on, Manav Thakkar entered the match against An Jaeh-yun needing to secure a win for India’s survival in the tournament. Manav lost the first game 10-12 and the second game 6-11. Although he fought back with an 11-7 third game win, An closed it out in the fourth game with a score of 12-10, marking the end of India’s campaign.
Thus, both teams exited earlier than hoped, leaving fans looking forward to better fortunes in future competitions.
