India Women Triumph Over Hungary 3-2; Men Face 3-1 Defeat to Poland at World Team Table Tennis Championships 2024

Busan, 19th feb 2024: In the World Team Table Tennis Championships 2024 held in Busan, Republic of Korea, India experienced a mixed bag of results on Sunday. While the men’s team faced a 3–1 defeat against Poland, the women’s team secured a thrilling 3–2 victory over Hungary.

Despite the loss to Poland in Group 3, Commonwealth Games champion Harmeet Desai showcased resilience, securing the sole win for the Indian men’s team. Conversely, in the women’s encounter against Hungary in Group 1, Manika Batra delivered outstanding performances, clinching two wins and steering her team to victory.

Among the men, seasoned players Sharath Kamal and Manav Thakkar lost their respective matches, whereas Harmeet’s performance oscillated with a win and a loss in a gripping contest.

Sharath, ranked 95th globally in table tennis, engaged in a four-game battle against Poland’s Jakub Dyzus but narrowly lost 3-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-4, 12-10).

India’s top-ranked men’s singles player, Harmeet Desai, ranked 67th globally, secured a crucial win against Kubik Maciej, ranked 131st, with a score of 3-1 (12-10, 13-11, 9-11, 11-5).

Meanwhile, India’s 86th-ranked player, Manav Thakkar, put up a fierce fight against Milos Radzimski, eventually succumbing to a 3-2 defeat (11-9, 9-11, 12-14, 11-6, 11-7).

In the decisive fourth match, Harmeet faced Jacob and lost 3-1 (11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 14-12). India had commenced their Group 3 campaign with a victory over Chile earlier on Sunday.

Later in the day, the women’s team secured a hard-fought 3–2 win against Hungary.

World number 36 player, Manika, displayed an exceptional performance by defeating Dora Madras, ranked 90th, with a score of 3-2 (8-11, 11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-4).

Manika sealed the victory for India by defeating Georgina Pota 3-0 (11-5, 14-12, 13-11) in the deciding match.

In between Manika’s triumphs, Ayihika Mukherjee defeated Bernadette Balint 3-1 (7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8), while Sreeja Akula faced defeats in both her matches.

This win marked the Indian women’s team’s first victory at the World Team Table Tennis Championships 2024, following a 3-2 loss to the People’s Republic of China in their opening match.

The men’s team will confront Korea Republic on Monday, whereas the women’s team will challenge Uzbekistan.

The tournament offers up to eight Paris 2024 Olympic team quotas in each event, which will be awarded to countries reaching the quarter-finals in Busan and previously without a team quota.

As of now, the men’s and women’s Indian table tennis teams are yet to secure quotas for the Paris Olympics.