Paris Olympics 2024 Table Tennis: India progress to women’s team QF after defeating Romania

The Indian women’s table tennis team defeated Romania 3-2 in the team event to progress to the quarterfinals of the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.

Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath opened the clash with a victory against their Romanian counterparts in the doubles game, while Manika Batra won her two singles matches to take India over the line.

Akula and Kamath lost their respective singles games.

India will now face the winner of the match between Germany and the USA in the last eight of the Paris Olympics 2024.

Manika Batra leads the way for Indian women’s table tennis team as they march on to Paris Olympics 2024 QF

Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath started the pre-quarterfinals by taking on Romania’s Adina Diaconu and Elizabeta Samara in a doubles gamw. The Indian pair won the match 3-0, not allowing their more experienced opponents a chance at the contest. Akula and Kamath comfortably won the round by 11-9, 12-10, 11-7.

India’s star paddler Manika built on it, winning the first singles match against Bernadette Szocs 3-0 to establish a 2-0 advantage in the overall contest. Batra, who lost her singles event match against Japan’s Miu Hirano, showed her class to win the match 11-5, 11-7, 11-7.

Just when it looked like Romania’s campaign was coming to an end, four-time Olympian Elizabeta Samara restored some confidence by winning the third match against Sreeja Akula by 8-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8. Despite it being a closely fought contest, Samara showed her experience to edge past Akula.

World No. 8 Bernadette Scocz showed her mettle against Olympics debutant Archana Kamath in match number four, winning it 11-5, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9. Despite a spirited showing by Kamath, including bagging the second game, Scocz tied the overall contest 2-2, with momentum now on the side of the Romanians.

The crucial final match was played out between Manika Batra and Adina Diaconu. However, in this must-win match for both teams, Batra completely outclassed her younger opponent, winning 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 to take India to the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics 2024.