Historic Bronze for Indian Women at Asian Table Tennis Championships

The Indian women's table tennis team clinched a historic bronze at the Asian Table Tennis Championships, marking the country's first-ever medal in the women's team category since the event's inception in 1972. India triumphed over South Korea to reach the semifinals but fell short against Japan.

In an unprecedented feat, the Indian women's table tennis team secured a bronze medal at the Asian Table Tennis Championships on Wednesday, marking the nation's first podium finish in the women's team category since the tournament's inception in 1972.

India faced a tough semifinal matchup with Japan, ultimately conceding defeat with a scoreline of 1-3. Meanwhile, China suffered a semifinal loss against Hong Kong, as per tournament rules, both losing semifinalists were awarded bronze medals. The opening singles saw Ayhika Mukherjee narrowly falling to Miwa Harimoto with a 2-3 defeat (8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11, 7-11).

The tie was momentarily levelled by Manika Batra, who secured a commanding 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-8) victory over Satsuki Odo. However, the momentum swung back to Japan after Suthirtha Mukherjee's 0-3 (11-9, 11-4, 15-13) loss to Mima Ito, followed by Harimoto's 3-1 (11-3, 6-11, 11-2, 11-3) win over Manika Batra.

India's historic entry into the semifinals came after a gripping quarterfinal victory against South Korea, where they edged out a 3-2 win. As the women's team celebrated their historic bronze, the Indian men's team also geared up for their own quarterfinal match against Kazakhstan.

(With inputs from agencies.)