The Indian men’s table tennis team confirmed their medal at the 2024 Asian Table Tennis Championships by securing a win in their quarterfinals in Astana, Kazakhstan on Wednesday. However, the women’s team had to settle for a bronze medal after losing their semifinal match.
The Indian Men’s team beat hosts Kazakhstan 3-1 in their quarterfinals to assure themselves a medal. Manav Thakkar defeated Krill Gerassimenko of 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-6). Harmeet Desai lost to Alan Kurmangaliyev 0-3 (6-11, 5-11, 8-11). Sharath Kamal secured triumphing over Aidos Kenzhigulov 3-0 (11-4, 11-7, 12-10). Harmeet Desai defeated Kirill Gerassimenko 3-2 (6-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8) in a closely contested match to seal the tie for India.
Meanwhile, Indian women’s team in the semifinals lost 1-3 against Japan and settled for bronze. Ayhika Mukherjee suffered a narrow defeat to Miwa Harimoto, losing 2-3 (8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11, 7-11) in the first singles match. Manika Batra evened the score with a 3-0 win (11-6, 11-5, 11-8) over Satsuki Odo. Mima Ito defeated Sutirtha Mukherjee 3-0 (11-9, 11-4, 15-13) and Harimoto went on to defeat Manika Batra 3-1 (11-3, 6-11, 11-2, 11-3) to secure the victory for Japan.
In the quarterfinals on Tuesday, India secured a nail-biting 3-2 victory over South Korea, ensuring a medal finish for them. World No. 92 Ayhika Mukherjee showcased her skills by upsetting higher-ranked opponents, including World No. 8 and Paris Olympics semifinalist Shin Yubin as well as World No. 16 Jeon Jihee.