National Games: Tamil Nadu beats Karnataka, enters medal round in women’s team table tennis event

Tamil Nadu will now face the top seed Maharashtra, with an all-win record in Group-A, in the semifinals on Wednesday.

Indian paddlers Diya Chitale, Harmeet Desai, Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee pose for photos with ‘Saavaj’, the official mascot of the 36th National Games in Surat on September 19, 2022. | Photo Credit: PTI

Comprising debutantes, the Tamil Nadu women’s team entered the medal round of the table tennis event of the 36th National Games, with a thrilling 3-2 win over Karnataka here on Tuesday. Incidentally, TN had bagged a bronze in the last edition of the Games held in 2015 in Kerala. Tamil Nadu will now face the top seed Maharashtra, with an all-win record in Group-A, in the semifinals on Wednesday.

In the last women’s Group-B match of the day to decide the second team to qualify for the last four clashes, Tamil Nadu pipped Karnataka 3-2 to book its spot. In the fifth and deciding rubber, C. R. Harshavardini fought back after losing the first two games to overcome V. Kushi 5-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-6.

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“It was usual pressure for me that one encounters in the fifth rubber. I am very happy that I could come through. I last played and won against Kushi in the 2018 Youth National ranking tournament in Vijayawada,” said Harshavardini to The Hindu.

In the other women’s semifinal, West Bengal will take on Telangana. Top seed Gujarat will take on West Bengal while Maharashtra, the second seed, will clash with Delhi in the men’s semifinals. In their third and last group match, Gujarat blanked Telangana 3-0 with Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah scripting victories.

Important Results:

Stage-I (round three): Men’s: Group A: Gujarat bt Telangana 3-0; B: Maharashtra bt Karnataka 3-0. Women: Group-A: Maharashtra bt Haryana 3-2; B: West Bengal bt UP 3-0; TN bt Karnataka 3-2 (S. Yashini bt V. Kushi 11-5, 13-11, 11-9; C.R. Harshavardiini lost to Yashaswini Ghorpade 7-11,8-11,11-8, 2-11; V. Kowshika bt Mariya Rony 11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 11-6; Yashini lost to Yashwaswini 7-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-7, 8-11).