Bronze for Sharath-Manika in table tennis
New Delhi   30-Aug-2018

The Indian table tennis contingent’s dream run got better on Wednesday when the mixed doubles pairing of A. Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra won a historic bronze. It was only on Tuesday that the Sharath-led men’s team had secured a bronze, ending India’s 60-year-wait for a maiden medal . On Wednesday, Sharath and Manika played four matches in a day and only the opener against Malaysia was comfortable.

In the semifinals, Sharath and Manika lost to China’s Yingsha Sun and Wang Sun 9-11, 5-11, 13-11, 4-11, 8-11. The semifinal was a best-of-seven games contest, while the earlier rounds were played in the usual best-of-five-format. Their pre-quarterfinal was against the South Korean pairing of Lee Sangsu and Jeon Jihee but the Indians battled past them 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-4. Next up was the North Korean challenge posed by Cha Hyo Sim and An Ji Song.

This was for a place in the semifinals and a guaranteed medal at the Games. Like the round of 16 match, the quarterfinal too went down to the wire with the Indians pulling off a 11-4, 10-12, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8 victory.