India concluded their journey at the Asian Table Tennis Championships, winning three medals, including a historic bronze in women’s doubles won by Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee. This achievement came after the Mukherjee sisters’ impressive run ended in the semifinals on Sunday.
India won 1-1 medals in men’s and women’s team along with women’s doubles in the tournament. Men’s team comprised Achanta Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar, and Harmeet Desai, while women’s team had Mukherjee sisters and Manika Batra.
Semifinal heartbreak for Mukherjee sisters
The world No. 15 duo, who had previously stunned the reigning world champions from China to secure bronze at last year’s Asian Games, faced a tough match against Japan’s Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara. They lost the semifinals 4-11, 9-11, 8-11 in under 30 minutes. Earlier, the Indian pair made headlines by defeating South Korea’s Kim Nayeong and Lee Eunhye in the quarterfinals, marking India’s first-ever women’s doubles medal at the Asian Championships.
Historic team bronze for women
Earlier in the tournament, the Indian women’s team also made history by winning bronze in the team event. The trio of Manika Batra, Ayhika Mukherjee, and Sutirtha Mukherjee achieved a milestone by securing India’s first medal in the women’s team category since the competition began in 1972, although they eventually lost 1-3 to Japan in the semifinals.
Men’s team achieved another bronze
In the men’s category, India added another bronze to their tally, marking their third consecutive medal in this tournament. The team of Achanta Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar, and Harmeet Desai faced a tough challenge in the semifinals, losing 0-3 to Chinese Taipei.
Singles exit for Thakkar and Shah
In men’s singles, both Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah were eliminated in the pre-quarterfinals. Thakkar, ranked world No. 60, had earlier caused an upset by defeating world No. 14 Jang Woojin of South Korea but was eventually defeated by Hong Kong’s Baldwin Chan with a score of 4-11, 4-11, 8-11. Meanwhile, Manush Shah fought valiantly against Lin Yun-Ju of Chinese Taipei, taking two games before narrowly losing with scores of 8-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-6, 12-14.
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