Asian TT Championships 2023: Indian women finish sixth, mixed pairs bow out

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The Indian women's team finished sixth in the Asian TT Championships 2023 after being blanked 0-3 by Thailand in Pyeongchang (South Korea) on Tuesday. The Indians beat Singapore 3-2 in a 5-8 positions match before going down to Thailand in the fifth-position showdown.

Against Singapore, Manika Batra began well against Jingyi Zhou (11-9, 11-3, 11-6) to put the team on the right path, but Sreeja Akula's loss (7-11, 6-11, 7-11) to Jian Zeng gave the rivals a lifeline.

However, Ayhika Mukjerjee's win against Ru Xin Wong provided India a 2-1 lead. In the reverse singles, Manika failed to overcome Jian Zeng and lost 8-11, 6-11, 7-11, putting pressure on Sreeja to make amends for her earlier loss. And the Hyderabadi pulled off a 3-1 (12-10, 11-3, 9-11, 11-6) win over Jingyi to redeem the team's chances.

But the Thai denied the team as Suthasini Sawettabutt accounted for Sreeja 11-6, 11-5, 11-6, then Orawan Paranang downed Manika 11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-6 before Wanwisa Aueawiriyayothin overcame Diya Chitale 15-13, 8-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-8 to grab the fifth position.

The paddlers faltered in the mixed doubles too. G Sathiyan and Manika went down 2-3 (11-7, 10-12, 11-6, 8-11, 9-11) in the round of 32 to another Thai pair, Phakpoom Sanguansin and Orawan Paranang.

During the match, Manika seemed to have twisted her ankle and needed a 10-minute medical attention. But the Indian duo continued and lost. Harmeet Desai and Sreeja Akula followed suit and lost to the top-seeded Japanese pair of Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata 6-11, 7-11, 8-11 in another Round of 32 match.

In their first round, the Indian duo beat the Malaysian pair of Shen Qi Wong and Xin Ai Tee 11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 11-9. The Indian men's team, already assured of a bronze medal, takes on Chinese Taipei in the semifinals on Wednesday.

With inputs from PTI