Asian Games 2014: Bitter-sweet day for India’s TT players

India have so far won 35 medals including two golds.

Incheon: Sep 29, 2014

The Indian table tennis players had a bitter-sweet day in the Asian Games as the mixed doubles team of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Poulomi Ghatak crashed out while the women’s doubles team got the better of arch-rivals Pakistan in a round-of-32 match.

Star paddler Sharath Kamal and Poulomi lost to the Thai duo of Padasak Tanviriyavechakul and Suthasiniin Sawettabut 6-11 9-11 14-16 in a round-of-32 match at the Suwon Gymnasium.

West Bengal ace Poulomi then combined with Ankita Das to thrash the Pakistani pair of Shabnam Bilal and Rahila Kashif 11-5 11-1 11-7 in just 12 minutes. The India duo of Amalraj Anthony Arputharaj and Madhurika Suhas Patkar got past the Mongolian pair of Munkh Orgil Batbayar and Enkhjin Barkhas 12-10 11-3 11-6 to enter the mixed doubles pre-quarterfinals.

In the women’s singles, Ankita humbled Menwah Alshammari of Kuwait 11-4 11-9 11-3 11-9 in a best-of-seven clash to move into the round-of-32. In the final outing of the day for Indian paddlers, Neha Aggarwal, the only female table tennis player to represent the nation in Olympics — 2008 Beijing Games, combined with Madhurika to make it to the last-16.

The Neha-Madhurika duo eased past Aishath Nisa and Aminath Shiura Shareef of Maldives 11-3 11-6 11-2 in the round-of-32 clash.

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