Hangzhou: The Indian women's table tennis team commenced their Asian Games 2023 campaign with a challenging yet triumphant encounter against Singapore in Group F.
The nail-biting match unfolded at Hangzhou, delivering a thrilling 3-2 victory for India.
In the initial showdown of the tie, Ayhika Mukherjee entered the arena for the women's singles contest against Jian Zeng. After an intense battle, Jian secured the game 3-1 (7-11, 11-2, 11-7, 12-10), providing Singapore with a 1-0 lead.
The second match of the tie featured Manika Batra facing off against Jingyi Zhou in another women's singles clash. Manika Batra reversed Singapore's fortunes, leveling the scoreline 1-1 with a resilient 3-1 victory (11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3).
In the third match, Sreeja Akula engaged in a hard-fought battle against Ru Xin Wong. Sreeja clinched the match 3-2 (12-14, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7), swinging the scoreline in India's favor at 2-1, reported ANI.
However, Singapore demonstrated unwavering determination. In a fiercely contested match, Jian edged past Manika 3-2 (11-3, 3-11, 12-10, 10-12, 12-10), leveling the score at 2-2.
The final showdown of the tie witnessed Ayhika triumphing over Zhou with a 3-1 scoreline (11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5), ultimately securing a hard-earned 3-2 victory for India.
India's next challenge at the Asian Games will be against Nepal on Saturday.