Asian Table Tennis Championships 2024: Indian men's team face defeat against Chinese Taipei, finish with bronze

The Indian men's table tennis contingent went down to Chinese Taipei in the semifinals of the 2024 Asian Table Tennis Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, October 10. The Indian men's team, which has consistently performed well at this continental event, finished with the bronze medal as a result. This was their third consecutive bronze at the Asian Championships.

In the opening match, veteran paddler Sharath Kamal, ranked 42nd in the world, faced world No. 11 Lin Yun-Ju. Though Sharath managed to stay competitive, especially in the second and third games, he ultimately lost in straight sets, 3-0 (11-7, 12-10, 11-9).

The second match saw world No. 60 Manav Thakkar put up a good fight against Kao Cheng-Jui, ranked 22nd in the world. Manav managed to win a game but was unable to maintain the momentum, eventually losing 3-1 (11-9, 8-11, 11-3, 13-11).

The decisive third match was contested between Harmeet Desai, ranked 91st, and Huang Yan-Cheng, ranked 70th. Huang dominated Harmeet and secured a comfortable 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-7) victory, sealing the tie for Chinese Taipei and ending India’s campaign in the men’s team event.

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Manika/Manav pair suffers defeat in Asian Table Tennis Championships 2024 round of 16 clash

Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles category, the Indian pair of Manika Batra and Manav Thakkar faced the experienced Korean duo of Ri Jong-Sik and Kim Kum Yong in the round of 16.

The Korean pair of Ri Jong-Sik and Kim Kum Yong had won silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics. They won the first two games, asserting their dominance and taking a crucial lead in the contest.

However, after losing the first two games, the Indian duo fought back to win the third game, keeping their hopes alive. Despite this, their opponents proved to be too strong, and the Indians ultimately ended up losing the contest 3-1 (11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7).