Indian Women’s team assured itself the first-ever medal at the Asian Table Tennis Championships with a stunning 3-2 win over South Korea.
Ayhika Mukherjee defied her underdog status and became the primary architect of India’s quarterfinal win at the Asian Table Tennis Championships.
Ayhika who defeated World Number 1 Sun Yinghsa from China at the World Team Championships earlier this year, was surprisingly not part of the Olympic team that reached the quarterfinals in Paris. However, Archana Kamath’s sudden retirement led to her making a comeback.
In the quarterfinals of the Women’s Asian Table Tennis Championships, Ayhika ranked World Number 92, beating World Number 8 Shin Yubin 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-7 in the opening match.
In the second match, World Number 29 Manika Batra won over 16th-ranked Jeon Jiheemade 12-14, 13-11, 11-5, 5-11, 12-10 to make it 2-0 for India.
However, India’s highest-ranked player, Sreeja Akula, lost to Lee Eunhye in straight games. Subsequently, Manika Batra lost her second match against Yubin and allowed the Koreans to level the tie.
In the all-important decider, Ayhika faced World Number 1 Jihee. She played with intensity and calm to down Jihee 7-11, 11-6, 12-10, 12-10 and assured India’s first-ever Asian Table Tennis Championships medal.
