Astana,oct 9
The Indian women’s table tennis team clinched a historic bronze medal at the Asian Table Tennis Championships 2024 after a hard-fought 3-1 defeat against Japan in the semifinals held here on Wednesday.This achievement marked India’s first medal in the women’s team event since the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) began organising the competition in 1972.India had previously won a bronze medal in the women’s team event back in 1960, when the championships were held in Bombay (now Mumbai) under the Table Tennis Federation of Asia (TTFA). With this latest success, India now holds six bronze medals in total at the continental championships.World No. 92 Ayhika Mukherjee opened the tie against Japan’s 16-year-old sensation Miwa Harimoto, ranked No. 7 in the world. Despite a valiant effort, Mukherjee lost 3-2 in a closely contested match (11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-7). However, India struck back when world No. 29 Manika Batra delivered a commanding performance, defeating Japan’s world No. 17 Satsuki Odo in straight sets 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-8).India’s momentum faltered in the third match, as world No. 89 Sutirtha Mukherjee, who replaced top-ranked Sreeja Akula, was outplayed by world No. 9 Mima Ito, losing 3-0 (11-9, 11-4, 15-13).In the decisive fourth match, Manika Batra faced Miwa Harimoto in a must-win situation but was overcome by the young prodigy, losing 3-1 (11-3, 6-11, 11-2, 11-3), sealing Japan’s victory.The Indian team had earlier made headlines with a sensational 3-2 victory over Paris 2024 bronze medallists, the Republic of Korea, in the quarterfinals. Ayhika Mukherjee was instrumental in the win, securing victories over world No. 8 Shin Yu-bin and 16th-ranked Jeon Ji-hee. Manika Batra also contributed with a win over Jeon in the reverse fixture.On the men’s side, India also advanced to the semifinals with a 3-1 win over hosts Kazakhstan. World No. 60 Manav Thakkar started strong with a 3-0 win over Kirill Gerassimenko, ranked No. 41, but Kazakhstan’s Alan Kurmangaliyev shocked Harmeet Desai with a 3-0 win to level the tie.India’s men’s team will next face either Hong Kong China or Chinese Taipei in the semifinals on Thursday.
