Asian Table Tennis | Indian males come up quick within the quarterfinals

India’s streak of three successive males’s workforce class medals within the Asian desk tennis championships got here to an finish on Sunday, as a younger facet led by Manav Thakkar went down 0-3 to Hong Kong (China) within the quarterfinals on the Kalinga Indoor Stadium right here.

With two of the three Indians making their workforce championship debut, the hosts — regardless of a vocal residence crowd cheering them on — discovered the seasoned Hong Kong outfit too sharp and disciplined. While Hong Kong sealed a long-awaited medal, India will now function within the fifth-to-eighth place playoffs.

National champion Manush Shah opened India’s marketing campaign in opposition to veteran Wong Chun Ting however was outplayed by the 24-year-old’s precision and energy. Wong’s placement and management on each flanks left the Indian southpaw little room to dictate rallies.

Captain Manav then stepped in, going through a well-recognized opponent within the left-handed Chan Baldwin. In a gripping contest that went the gap, Manav’s aggressive intent produced a number of gorgeous rallies but in addition unforced errors at essential junctures. His repeated misses on third-ball forehand topspins in the end value him the match.

Youngster Ankur Bhattacharjee, who had crushed Lam Siu Hang on the China Smash final month, started brightly and surged to a 9-5 lead within the second sport after successful the primary.

But as soon as Lam discovered his rhythm, the Hong Kong paddler reeled off six straight factors to grab momentum. Ankur’s lack of ability to shut out the third sport proved decisive, as Lam’s forehand barrage sealed Hong Kong’s passage to the semifinals.

The focus now shifts to the ladies’s workforce, which begins its marketing campaign late on Monday night, with its quarterfinal opponent to be confirmed earlier within the day.

The outcomes: Men: Quarterfinals: Hong Kong (China) bt India 3-0 (Wong Chun Ting bt Manush Shah 11-5, 11-9, 13-11; Chan Baldwin bt Manav Thakkar 11-8, 11-8, 10-12, Sept. 11, 11-8; Lam Siu Hang bt Ankur Bhattacharjee 7-11, 11-9, 12-14, 11-6, 11-7).

Japan bt Korea 3-1 (Tomokazu Harimoto bt An Jaehyun 11-9, 13-11, 11-7; Sora Matsushima bt Cho Daeseong 14-12, 10-12, 4-11, 11-8, 11-4; Shunsuke Togami misplaced to Oh Junsung 7-11, 5-11, 8-11; Harimoto bt An 11-5, 11-9, 11-6).