Bhubaneswar: The Indian men’s team redeemed themselves to some extent with a hard-fought 3-2 triumph over DPR Korea in a 5th-8th place playoff tie at the ITTF-ATTU 28th Asian Table Tennis Team Championships being held at the Kalinga Stadium.
Having been knocked out of medal contention following a 0-3 defeat at the hands of Hong Kong two days ago, the trio of Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah and Ankur Bhattacharjee won a match each over their North Korean rivals on Tuesday to emerge victorious.
India will next face Republic of Korea (South Korea) in a clash to determine which country finishes fifth in the continental team event.
Manav gave the home side the perfect start, dismissing the challenge of Song Yu Ham 11-6, 11-5, 11-9.
Manush flattered to deceive, going down in 4 games after clinching the first against Sik Jong Ri.
Ankur had to summon every ounce of his stamina and fighting ability to overcome Bom Jong Chon. In a see-saw contest, Ankur prevailed 11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6 to restore India’s advantage.
Manav then had the chance to wrap up the tie, but squandered a two-nil lead against Sik Jong. In a tense finish, Manav went down 16-14, 11-4, 8-11, 8-11, 9-11 to push the tie to the decider.
Up against North Korea’s weak link Yu Song, Manush exerted his superiority to notch up a convincing 11-8, 13-11, 11-8 win.
Women lose to North Korea as Manika Batra gives walkover
In the women’s team event, India came a cropper against the same opponents, losing 1-3 to DPR Korea in a 5th-8th place clash.
Yashaswini Ghorpade won India’s only rubber, after Diya Chitale and Manika Batra had ended on the losing side of their respective duels. With India trailing 1-2, Manika gave a walkover as she was unwell to hand North Korea victory.
Indian women will face Hong Kong in a clash to determine which countries finish fifth and sixth.
