Indian table tennis player Sathiyan Gnanasekaran won his fourth match in a row for his team Sokolow S.A. Jaroslaw in the Polish Superliga, leading them to a victory against Uczelina Panstwowa.
Sathiyan was up against Greek paddler Konstantinos Angelakis in the third singles match of the tie, and prevailed 3-0 over his opponent with a scoreline of 11-8, 12-10, and 11-3.
The 27-year-old Chennai-born player began on a promising note against Angelakis and raced off to a 9-3 lead in the first game of the match. However, he committed a few errors, and some spirited play from his opponent helped cut the lead down to 9-8. Sathiyan kept his composure at the table and held racked up three crucial points in a row to wrap up the first game at 11-8.
The second game saw Angelakis take control of the initial exchanges, as he ran away with a 4-1 lead with some clinical strokeplay. Sathiyan was trailing 4-9 at one point, but showed resilience and clawed back with crucial points to make it all square at 10-10.
Eventually, Sathiyan was able to close out the second game with a 12-10 scoreline to complete a sensational comeback and maintain his advantage in the match.
The final game of the match was a one-sided affair, and Sathiyan finished the game with an 11-3 margin to win 3-0 in the end over Angelakis.
Jaroslaw end the first half of the Polish Superliga on the fourth spot in the standings, and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran will be heading back to India.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran will next play in the Japanese T-League
World No. 32 Sathiyan Gnanasekaran will be back in India soon, and will have to undergo the COVID-19 testing procedures and a mandatory quarantine period before he can get back to training.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran will next participate in the Japanese T-League, where he will play for the Okayama Rivets. He is slated to become the first player from India to play in the Japanese league, and will be playing a total of around 12 matches.