Asian Games 2023, table tennis: Indian women's team beats Singapore
Indian women's team started its 2023 Asian Games campaign with a hard-fought win over Singapore. The Indian female paddlers won the clash 3-2 as Ayhika Mukherjee, Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula all registered a solitary win. Manika could have sealed it earlier had she won against Zeng Jian in match 4. Eventually, Ayhika stepped up in the decider to beat Jungyi Zhou. Here's more.
Ayhika Mukherjee lost the first match
Ayhika went down against Singapore's Jian Zeng 3-1 despite taking the lead in the first game. She lost the clash 11-7, 2-11, 7-11, 10-12 as India went down 1-0 to Singapore in the women's team event. After taking the early lead, Ayhika lost her way in the next two games. However, she fought hard in the fourth game and saved three match points.
Manika Batra draws India level
Star paddler Manika defeated Jungyi Zhou in the second match to bring India to level terms. She defeated her Singaporean opponent (3-1) 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3 in 35 minutes. She started brilliantly and despite a small hiccup, she won the first game. Although she conceded the second, she looked very good. Manika won the next two games to earn a very crucial win.
Sreeja Akula hands India the lead with a crucial win
Sreeja played brilliantly to win against Xin Ru Wong. She lost the first game even after fighting valiantly. Sreeka won the second game which raised hopes momentarily but Wong won the third game. However, Sreeja wasn't done at all as she bagged the fourth and fifth games to hand India a 3-1 lead over Singapore. The reigning national champion proved her mettle.
Manika Batra falters against Zeng Jian
In-form Manika, unfortunately, faltered, as she lost to Zeng Jian. She started with a defeat in the first game but immediately fought back to take the second. Zeng claimed the third game but stubborn Manika showed her talent by winning the fourth. However, she failed to capitalize in the decider and Zeng took away the match. Manika lost 3-11, 11-3, 10-12, 12-10, 10-12.
Ayhika wins the decider, India clinch the match 3-2
Although she lost her first encounter, Ayhika was up for a fresh start against Jungyi Zhou. She won the first two games comprehensively and entered the third game with a lot of confidence. However, she lost the third game. But she immediately won the fourth game to seal the encounter for India 3-2. Ayhika won the clash 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5.
Indian women's team eyeing its first Asian Games medal
Indian table tennis stars created history in the 2018 Asian Games when they bagged their first two medals. They won two bronze medals in the men's team and in mixed doubles where Sharath Kamal paired up with Manika. They will be eyeing a women's team medal.
