Hangzhou Asian Games | Manika Batra progresses to quarterfinals; Sharath, Sathiyan crash out
The Hindu
India's Manika Batra advanced to the women's singles quarterfinals, while veterans A Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan were eliminated in the pre-quarterfinals of the Asian Games table tennis competition. Manika will face China's Yidi Wang in her last chance to win a medal.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Manika Batra progressed to the women's singles quarterfinals but veterans A Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan crashed out in the pre-quarterfinals of the table tennis competition in the Asian Games here on Friday.
In the men's singles, Sharath fought bravely against Chinese Taipei's Chih-Yuan Chuang but eventually the latter prevailed 11-7, 12-10, 9-11, 11-5, 10-12, 6-11, 11-8.
Sharath had fought back from a two-game disadvantage to make it 3-3, but he could not hold his composure in the final game.
Earlier, G Sathiyan lost to China's Chiquin Wang 3-11, 3-11, 6-11, 3-11.
India endured a mixed day in the women's doubles event as well.
Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee reached the quarterfinals with a 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 victory over Thailand's Jinnipa and Wanwisa.
But Sreeja Akula and Diya Chitale were ousted by fifth seeded Japanese Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara 11-3, 11-5, 11-8.
Asian Games champion Avinash Sable opened his season in the 3000m steeple chase with a silver in the Portland Track Festival, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Oregon on Saturday. He clocked 8:21.85s. Asian champion Parul Chaudhary took the bronze in the women’s 3000m steeple chase in a season-best 9:31.38s. Former Asian bronze medallist Sanjivani Jadhav struck gold in the women’s 10,000m in 32:22.77s, a time which was a second off her personal best, while Seema was sixth in 32:55.91s.