The Indian women's table tennis team won bronze, the nation's first-ever medal at the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan on October 9. Although the squad faltered 1-3 in the semi-finals against Japan, they were assured of a historic medal in the quarterfinals the previous day after an excellent 3-2 win over Paris Olympics bronze medallists South Korea. In the other semi-final, Hong Kong was defeated 0-3 by China to win the other bronze medal.
Ayhika Mukherjee was defeated 2-3 (8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11, 7-11) by Miwa Harimoto in the opening single. Then, Manika Batra upped the game with a 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-8) victory over Satsuki Odo. However, Mima Ito defeated Sutirtha Mukherjee 3-0 (11-9, 11-4, 15-13) and Harimoto took down Batra 3-1 (11-3, 6-11, 11-2, 11-3).
India Wins First Medal At Asian Championships: Flawless Delivery On Quarterfinals
World number 92 Ayhika Mukherjee was the architect of the famous victory as she beat world number 8 Shin Yubin and world number 16 Jeon Jihee in the rubber. Ayhika and Manika Batra had given India an unexpected yet stunning 2-0 lead before the South Koreans made it 2-2. Ayhika held her nerve against Jihee to seal the winning contest.
The women's team has been persistently producing consistent performances in premier events and reached the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics. Ayhika was not part of the team in Paris, but back following Archana Kamath's retirement, she made all the difference against South Korea. Ayhika has built a reputation as a giant killer, having beaten world number one Sun Yinghsa from China at the World Team Championships earlier this year. On Tuesday, she put India ahead with an 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 7-11, 11-7 win over eighth-ranked Shin Yuben.
World number 29 Manika then made it 2-0 for India with a 12-14, 13-11, 11-5, 5-11, 12-10 win over 16th-ranked Jeon Jihee. India's highest-ranked player at 26, Sreeja Akula, allowed the Koreans to get back in the match after losing to Lee Eunhye in straight games -- 6-11, 10-12, 8-11. Yubin then levelled the tie with a scrappy 13-11, 11-4, 6-11, 7-11, 12-10 win over Manika. In the all-important decider, Ayhika downed Jihee 7-11, 11-6, 12-10, 12-10 to get the job done.
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