Table tennis: Baboor wins, Ghatak out

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Sydney: It was a day of mixed fortunes for India on Monday as Chetan Baboor registered his first win while Poulomi Ghatak suffered her second defeat to be eliminated from the Olympic table tennis competitions.

Baboor salvaged some pride for India defeating New Zealand'sPeter Jackson 25-21, 21-18, 23-21 in a tough Group 'C' match here.

The Indian paddler had to fight every inch of the way. He was lucky to survive despite committing several unforced errors. All throughout the marathon match, lasting over 56 minutes, the former Indian champion struggled hard as his little-known rival put up a brave fight.

Peter Jackson will take on Petr Korbal of the Czech Republic in the last group match on Tuesday which will decide who would make itto the qualifying rounds.

In his first match on Sunday, Baboor had lost to Korbal 13-21, 21-17, 21-16, 21-14.

In the women's section, Indian teenager Poulomi Ghatak crashed out of the Olympic table tennis competitions as she suffered her second successive defeat in the three-player Group 'L' league match.

Seventeen-year-old Ghatak, who had also lost her first match on Sunday, went down to Anne Boileau of France in straight sets 21-12, 21-9, 21-9 in 29 minutes.

Boileau earned most of the points on her own serve as Poulomi found it hard to return. The Indian teenager also committed far too many unforced errors.

Unlike her first match where she put a spirited show against Veronika Pavlovich of Belarus going down 14-21, 17-21, 16-21, the Calcutta-based paddler seemed overawed by her rival and threw in the towel without much fight in the second and third set to bid adieu to the Olympic table tennis event.

UNI