Bhubaneswar, Oct 12: India’s men’s table tennis team suffered a one-sided 0-3 defeat against Hong Kong in the quarterfinals of the 28th ITTF-ATTU Asian Team Table Tennis Championships, here on Sunday.
Despite India’s higher world ranking at No 4, Hong Kong, ranked sixth, displayed superior composure, tactical awareness, and discipline to claim a comfortable victory.
India, bronze medallists in the last three editions, struggled to mount any sustained challenge. Korea will now face India in the classification round for fifth place.
Wong Chun Ting, ranked 48th globally, set the tone by defeating India’s left-hander Manush Shah 11-5 11-9 13-11.
In the second match, India’s most experienced player, Manav Thakkar (world No. 39), recovered from two games down to level 2-2 against Chan Baldwin but faltered in the decider, handing Hong Kong a 2-0 lead.
Young Ankur Bhattacharjee gave India a spirited start in the third rubber against Lam Siu Hang, winning two games, but Lam’s experience saw Hong Kong complete the clean sweep.
India’s foreign expert Massimo Costantini lauded Hong Kong’s composure and noted that the young Indian team would learn from the defeat. (PTI)
