World Team Table Tennis Championships: India men’s team beats NZ 3-0, seals passage to knockouts

India faces Kazakhstan in the Round of 32. Korea, which got a bye in the first knockout round courtesy of its top spot in Group 3, awaits the winner of the tie.

India’s Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in action during his men’s singles group stage match against South Korea. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

After the women’s team advanced to the knockout stages on Tuesday, the men’s team emulated the feat after a comfortable 3-0 win over New Zealand in Busan.

Harmeet Desai got the side off to an ideal start with a straight-game win over Timothy Choi. Desai prevailed 11-5, 11-1, 11-6.

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran built on the momentum and pulled India two clear, defeating Alfred Dela Pena 11-3, 11-7, 11-6. In the third-rubber, Manush was tested by Maxwell Henderson who won the opening two games 12-10, 11-6. But a spirited comeback saw Shah stretch the game the full distance and prevail 11-4, 11-8, 11-6.

The win took India past Chile, helping it advance as the third team from Group 3.

India faces Kazakhstan in the Round of 32. Korea, which got a bye in the first knockout round courtesy of its top spot, awaits the winner of the tie.