Top seed China stopped a fighting India 3-2 in the opening women’s group match of the World team table tennis championships in Busan on Friday.
After Ayhika Mukherjee gave India a rousing start with a stunning win over World No. 1 Sun Yingsha in the first rubber, China levelled things when World No. 4 Wang Manyu scripted a facile 11-3, 11-8, 13-15, 11-7 victory over Manika Batra, India’s top-ranked paddler at 36.
Undaunted, Sreeja Akula, world ranked 49, played a fearless attacking game to outwit Wang Yidi, world no. 2 to hand India a 2-1 lead. Hopes hinged on Manika, but she was inconsistent and lost to Yingsha in four games. In the fifth and deciding tie, Ayhika couldn’t do an encore as she went down to Manyu in three straight games.
The results:
China bt India 3-2 (Sun Yingsha lost to Ayhika Mukherjee 10-12, 11-2, 11-13, 6-11; Wang Manyu bt Manika Batra 11-3, 11-8, 13-15, 11-7; Wang Yidi lost to Sreeja Akula 7-11, 9-11, 11-13; Yingsha bt Manika 11-3, 11-6, 11-13, 11-9; Manyu bt Ayhika 11-9, 13-11, 11-6).
