ITTF World Team TT C'ships: Indian men's, women's team continue unbeaten run
London, April 30
Both Indian men's and women's players continued to thrive in the ongoing ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships, winning their second group stage ties in London.
The women's Indian side beat Ukraine 3-2, while the Indian men's team outclassed Slovakia by the same margin, as per Olympics.com on Wednesday.
In their respective opening matches, the Indian women's team won via walkover against Uganda, while the men's team clean-swept Tunisia 3-0.
Coming to the women's competition, the world number 48 Manika Batra started India's match on a good note, outclassing Olympian Tetyana Bilenko 3-1 (11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5), which was followed by Yashaswini Ghorpade losing to world number 51 Margaryta Pesotska. Despite a valiant fight back, the world number 61 Indian lost 3-2 (11-7, 11-8, 1-11, 9-11, 11-9)
Diya Chitale brought India's fortunes back on track, securing a 3-0 win over Veronika Matiunina. Manika returned for her second rubber of the day, but lost to Pesotska 3-1 (11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6), making the scoreline level at 2-2.
Ghorpade came in clutch in the decider, sealing the tie for India with a well-compiled 3-1 (11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7) win over Tetyana Bilenko.
The Indian women's team's next challenge will be Rwanda in their final Stage 1b Group 6 match on Thursday.
Coming to the men's competition, the world number 51 Manush Shah lost 3-2 (11-8, 5-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-6) against Lubomir Pistej before Manav Thakkar staged a comeback for India with a 3-0 win (11-6, 11-8, 11-6) over Jakub Zelinka.
Slovakia took back the lead yet again as Olympian Yang Wang beat Asian Games medalist Harmeet Desai 3-0 (16-14, 11-5, 11-9), but Manav, returning for his second rubber of the day, brought the scoreline level with a 3-0 win over Pistej.
Manush, who had started with a loss, sealed the tie for India, beating Zelinka 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-7).
Guatemala will be India's next challenge in their final Stage 1b Group 7 match.
The tournament is witnessing 64 teams participating, divided in four groups of 16 teams each.
— ANI
Reader Comments
While the results are positive, I think we need to work on our depth. Manush Shah lost his first match and Harmeet Desai couldn't convert in the crucial rubber. We won't always have Manav Thakkar to save us. Need more consistency across the board. But overall, good fight shown by both teams. 🇮🇳
Impressive results from India! The women's team especially showed great resilience after Yashaswini's first loss. Diya Chitale's clean 3-0 win was a turning point. Looking forward to seeing them against Rwanda and Guatemala. Keep the momentum going! 🎉
Manav Thakkar is on fire! Two wins in the men's category - first against Zelinka and then the clutch win over Pistej. He's becoming our go-to player in pressure situations. And Manika Batra continues to be a legend. This is a great sign for Indian table tennis. Let's hope they can go all the way! 🙌
Watching Yashaswini Ghorpade bounce back after losing that tight 3-2 match to Pesotska was inspiring. She showed real mental toughness to win the decider against Bilenko. That's the kind of grit that wins championships. India should be proud of both teams!
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