India Women's Team Asian TT Championship: The 25th Asian Table Tennis Championship began on September 28 in Doha, Qatar. So far Indian Men’s and Women’s teams have given a winning start as they enter the Quarterfinals.
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On Tuesday, the Indian women’s team scored 3-0 wins over the Asian countries of Jordan and Nepal at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall in Doha.
Iran will be now up against the Indian men’s team who will directly be playing quarterfinals. Iran replaced China as defending champion since the latter skipped the Championship.
Manika Batra is not a part of the biennial meet as the top ranked player did not attend the compulsory national camp in Sonepat where Indians were reportedly in complete control.
The team was led by Sutirtha Mukherjee, a Tokyo Olympian. Other members of the team include Archana Kamath, Ayhika Mukherjee and Sreeja Akula who was the fourth member, was not fielded. In the second group match against Nepal, Sreeja played as Ayhika was rested.
Bara Al-Wedian of Jordan was defeated by India’s Sutirtha within 15 minutes and gave the nation a 1-0 lead with a score of 11-6, 11-6, 11-4. Archana Kamath’s win over Jordan’s Taimmaa Abo-Yaman 11-6, 11-5, 11-3 in 14 minutes doubled the lead.
Ayhika Mukherjee crushed Jordan’s Yara Aldmaisy 11-7, 11-1, 11-1 in 13 minutes in the best of five matches. India’s former national junior champion Sreeja scored a straight 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 win against Nepal’s Elina Maharjan in the second match.
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Meanwhile Archana defeated Nepal’s Sikka Suwal 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 and Sutirtha Mukherjee beat Evana Thapa from Nepal 11-2, 11-8, 11-0. With a score of two wins India topped Group I while Nepal who lost to Jordan 1-3 finished third behind the Gulf country.
It has been reported that as for India’s opponents in the quarters, it will be either Japan or Singapore, if they beat two of the three other group leaders.
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