India's Bhavina Patel's brilliance at the Paralympics was once again stopped by the Chinese paddler, Zhou Ying. Despite her terrific efforts, the Indian was outclassed by the World No.1 as she marched to a 3-0 victory in the final. Ying, who is a 2-time singles para gold medallist, looked dominant on the day and made it difficult for Bhavina. Here's more on what transpired during the event.
Bhavina once again falls out to Zhou Ying
Zhou Ying looked on top right from the start. She was aggressive in her approach and didn't let Bhavina settle into the game. Despite the resilience shown by the Indian, Ying took the first game 10-7. The next game was complete domination from the Chinese paddler. She schooled the Indian and delivered some top-notch shots to take away a 10 - 5 win.
A lot was expected from the Indian in the penultimate game. However, Ying rubbished all of that with another stellar performance in the third game. She was occasionally on the receiving end of some backhand shots from Bhavina, but her response to all of them was nothing short of exceptional.
The Indian gave it her all till the last point. She kept making things difficult for Ying. However, nothing could stop the World No.1 from reclaiming the gold medal.
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Twitter reacts to Bhavina Patel's stunning effort at the Paralympics
Bhavina had lost her first match to Zhou Ying on the group stage. However, the Indian had come a long way since then. She pulled off some of the biggest upsets and marched into the final.
Her opponent was no stranger to the biggest stage. Zhou Ying is one of the biggest names in para table tennis. The Indian tried her best, but came up short in the final.
Her stellar performance in the final helped her become the first Indian paddler to win a silver medal at the Paralympics. Netizens congratulated her on a brilliant performance at the Paralympics. They also wished her the best for all her future competitions.