WTT Star Contender Table Tennis Doha: Sathiyan Gnanasekaran 'in the zone' after one of biggest career wins

Indian paddler Sathiyan Gnanasekaran pulled off one of the biggest wins of his career when he beat Sweden's Mattias Falck 3-2 in the second round of the WTT Star Contender Table Tennis tournament in Doha.

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran was down 0-2 but pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat Falck 8-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-6 in a thrilling second-round match.

The Swede, Falck, is seeded eighth and is a 2019 World Championship silver medalist.

The Chennai-based paddler was outsmarted in the first two games and had to put his best foot forward in the all-important third game to stay alive in the match. Sathiyan took the early lead and although Falck did try to make a comeback with a slew of points, the Indian kept his cool to sail through to the next round.

Once he got to winning the game, Sathiyan regained his confidence and composure and won the next two games without much ado.

Speaking after the match, Sathiyan Gnansekaran said he is looking forward to going deep into the tournament

"I think it is (the win) good. I am getting better with every match and I am in good shape. I am in my zone. I am keeping fit and I hope I can go on for a few more days," he said.

Sathiyan will meet another Swedish player, Kristian Karlsson, in the round-of-16.

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran-Manika Batra lose in mixed doubles

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, however, couldn't keep going in the mixed doubles with Manika Batra as the World No. 7 pair tasted defeat in the first round.

Sathiyan and Manika were beaten by Spain's Maria Xiao and Alvaro Robles 1-3 (7-11, 11-9, 7-11, 5-11) in the first round.

The Spanish pair won their first game 11-7 before the Indians came back on level terms with a 11-9 win.

However, the next two games were a breeze for the Spaniards as they won with ease to knock Sathiyan and Manika out.

In the women's singles Manika Batra beat Germany's Xiaona Shan (3-1) 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9. Shan, ranked 27 in the world, couldn't come to terms with the Indian's game to surrender. Manika Batra will take on sixth seed Germany's Ying Han in the pre-quarterfinals.