Both the Indian men's and women's teams saw their World Table Tennis Championships run end in the pre-quarterfinals this Wednesday. However, their overall performance likely guarantees them a place in the Paris Olympics. The women's side, led by Manika Batra, lost 1-3 to Chinese Taipei, while the men were overwhelmed by South Korea in a one-sided 0-3 defeat. According to a TTFI representative, the official confirmation of their Olympic qualification is expected in March.
The Indian men’s and women’s teams were eliminated in the pre-quarterfinals of the World Table Tennis Championships on Wednesday, but their performance in a likelihood will be enough to send them to the Paris Olympics. The women’s team, led by Manika Batra, lost 1-3 to Chinese Taipei in the round of 16, while the men were blown away by South Korea for the second time in the competition, suffering a humiliating 0-3 defeat. In all likelihood, the men and women have qualified for the Olympics but we will have to wait till March for the official announcement, said a TTFI official.
While the World Championships granted Olympic berths to those reaching the quarterfinals, India's teams are expected to qualify based on their global standings. The official announcement is set for March 5 once all points are tallied. Currently, the Indian men are ranked 15th and the women 17th in the world.
In the women's pre-quarterfinals, Manika Batra secured a gritty victory against Taipei's Chen Szu-Yu, winning 11-8, 8-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-9 to put India in the lead. That lead evaporated when Sreeja Akula was swept aside by Cheng I-Ching (11-6, 11-9, 11-5), followed by Ayhika Mukherjee's loss to Li Yu-Jhun (10-12, 13-15, 11-9, 2-11). In her subsequent match, Manika (ranked 36th) fought hard against Cheng, but the Taiwanese veteran proved too tactically prepared for Manika's specific backhand style, resulting in a 10-12, 11-5, 9-11, 5-11 loss.
The Indian men found it nearly impossible to match the power of the South Korean team. Although Harmeet Desai and Sharath Kamal managed to steal a game each against Jang Woojin and Lim Jonghoon, G Sathiyan eventually fell to Lee Sang Su. This followed a successful Wednesday morning where Harmeet Desai clinched a vital fifth match against Kazakhstan to push India into the pre-quarterfinals, and the women's team dominated Italy with a clean 3-0 sweep to reach the round of 16.
The tie against Kazakhstan started poorly for India as Harmeet lost to Kirill Gerassimenko (9-11, 12-10, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8). However, the veteran Sharath Kamal staged a remarkable comeback. Despite being down two games, the 41-year-old Commonwealth gold medalist fought back to beat Alan Kurmangaliyev 6-11, 7-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-9. Sharath's momentum didn't last into his second match, where Gerassimenko won 4-11, 9-11, 11-6, 7-11 to tie the score. In the high-pressure deciding match, Harmeet remained composed and secured the win with a 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7 victory.