Asian Games: Table tennis receives mixed results

Ankita Das

Incheon, Sep 29 (IANS)

India’s Ankita Das registered a comprehensive 4-0 win over her Kuwait opponent to advance to the women’s singles second round of the table tennis in the 17th Asian Games at the Suwon Gymnasium on Monday.

The Indian routed Alshammari Menwah of Kuwait 11-4, 11-9, 11-3, 11-9 in just 16 minutes to move into the next round.

Ankita was in top form and didn’t give her opponent any time to settle down, taking the first game 11-4 in just three minutes.

The Kuwaiti player put up some resistance with the Indian going for some risky shots but in the end Ankita wrapped the second game 11-9 in five minutes.

The third went in the same vein as the first with Ankita calling all the shots. The game ended in just three minutes 11-3 in favour of the Indian.

Alshammari tried her best to win back some pride and in some respects managed to do that after winning nine points in the fourth game but it still wasn’t enough as Ankita sealed the game and thus the match, winning 11-9 in five minutes.

The Indian team of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Poulomi Ghatak Monday knocked out after losing in straight games to a Thailand team in the mixed doubles of the second round table tennis match at the 17th Asian Games.

Sharath Kamal and Poulomi lost 0-3 (6-11, 9-11, 14-16) to Thai pair Padasak Tanviriyavechakul and Suthasini Sawettabut in 22 minutes to exit the games.

The Thai team took just five minutes to wrap up the first game 11-6.

The rallies got shorter in the second as both teams made unforced errors. The Indian pair came close but not close enough as they went down 9-11 in six minutes.

Required to win the third game to stay in the match, the Indian team gave it their all but the Thai pair won points when it mattered the most and clinched the third games narrowly 16-14 in 11 minutes to dump the Indian team.

The Indian mixed doubles table tennis team of Anthony Amalraj and Madhurika Patkar reached the round of 16.

Amalraj-Madhurika, who got a bye in the first round, defeated Mongolian pair of Orgil Munkh Batbayar and Enkhjin Barkhas 3-0 (12-10, 11-3, 11-6) in just 13 minutes.

Sluggish to begin with, the Indian team was stretched and had to work hard before taking the first game 12-10.

The Indian team played with much more discipline and confidence in the next two games.

They got into a fine rhythm and wrapped up the next two games 11-3, 11-6 in three and five minutes, respectively to progress through to the next round.

The Indian pair will take on Japan’s Seiya Kishikawa and Ai Fukuhara in the next round on Tuesday