London, April 29: India’s women’s table tennis team rose to the occasion in a high-stakes group encounter, edging Ukraine 3-2 in a pulsating contest to keep their ITTF World Team Championships Finals qualification hopes on track here on Wednesday.
The victory also placed them in a strong position to top Group 6.
The encounter began tensely with Manika Batra, ranked No. 49 in the world, on the back foot against the experienced Tetyana Bilenko.
Dropping the second game, 7-11, Manika showed her trademark composure to storm back, taking the next two games for an 11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5 verdict and handing India an early lead.
Ukraine fought back through world No. 51 Margaryta Pesotska, who got the better of Yashaswini Ghorpade in a five-game duel. Ghorpade fought back after losing the first two games, even dishing out a dominant 11-1 third game, but Pesotska held her nerve in the decider to level the tie at 1-1.
India regained control thanks to Diya Chitale, who delivered an assured performance. The young paddler dismantled Veronika Matiunina 11-6, 11-8, 11-6, combining sharp placement with relentless tempo to put India 2-1 ahead.
With the tie hanging in the balance, Margaryta overpowered Manika 11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6, forcing the contest into a decisive fifth match.
Ghorpade then showed remarkable resilience under pressure to beat Tetyana 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7 to seal the tie for India.
The win places India in a commanding position in the group. They take on Rwanda in their last group fixture on Thursday, a match that could confirm their passage into the main draw as group toppers.
In the men’s section India will take on Slovakia later in the day, before wrapping up their Group 7 campaign against Guatemala on Thursday. (PTI)
