Indian table tennis quartet led by veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal ended its Olympic campaign on the opening day itself as all four players lost their first round matches, here.
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Save Mouma Das, who was blown away by 0-4 margin in just 21 minutes, Sharath and Soumyajit Ghosh got a game each from their respective opponents before going down 1-4. Debutant Manika Batra was the best performer as she lost by scoreline of 2-4.
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India’s most decorated player Sharath lost to another veteran Adrian Crisan of Romania 11-8, 14-12, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8 in 35 minutes. Adrian was World No. 20 at one point of time in his career and is currently a top-100 player (ranked 90th).
It was no different in the other match in the men’s section for World No. 68 Soumyajit Ghosh, who also made a first round exit, losing to Padasak Tanviriyavechakul by 1-4 margin in 35 minutes. Left-handed Padasak, a medallist at the South East Asian Games, won 11-8, 11-6, 12-14, 11-6, 13-11 in a well-contested match that was more closely fought than the scoreline would suggest.
In the women’s event, the 34-year-old Mouma, who is well past her prime, posed a challenge that was lukewarm and short-lived. The Indian veteran, in her second Olympics, lost to World No. 58 Daniela Dodean Monteiro of Romania 2-11, 7-11, 7-11, 3-11 in a mere 21 minutes.
Debutant Manika, on the other hand, put up a good fight before going down to her 60th-ranked Polish rival Katarzyna Franc-Grzybowska 12-10, 6-11, 12-14, 11-8, 4-11, 12-14 in 48 minutes in another preliminary round clash.
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