Indian Para Table Tennis Players' Brave Fight at Paralympics Ends in Quarterfinals

Indian para table tennis players Bhavinaben Patel and Sonalben Patel were defeated in the women's doubles WD 10 quarterfinals against South Korea's A Young Jung and Sunghya Moon. They lost 1-3 in a 39-minute match. Both athletes will continue to compete in their respective singles events.

Indian para table tennis players Bhavinaben Patel and Sonalben Patel faced a tough battle at the Paralympics, exiting in the women's doubles WD 10 quarterfinals after a 1-3 loss against South Korean duo A Young Jung and Sunghya Moon on Friday.

The eighth-seed Indians scored 5-11, 6-11, 11-9, 6-11 in a 39-minute contest held at the South Paris Arena.

Both Bhavina, the Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist, and Sonalben will continue to showcase their talents in their respective singles events. Bhavina made history at the Tokyo Games in 2021 as the first-ever Indian table tennis player to win a medal at the Paralympics, competing in the class 4 category. She was diagnosed with polio at 12 months old.

Sonalben, who also battles a 90 per cent disability from polio diagnosed at six months old, is set to compete in the class 3 category. Paralympic table tennis competitions are divided into eleven classes, with TT1-5 for wheelchair athletes, TT6-10 for standing athletes, and TT11 for athletes with intellectual impairments.

(With inputs from agencies.)