Aichi-Nagoya, Sept 21:
The Indian women’s table tennis team defeated Pakistan 3-0 to secure a place in the quarterfinals of the Asian Games on Monday.
India dominated the tie from the opening match. Sreeja Akula and her teammates maintained control throughout as India completed a clean sweep without dropping the tie.
The victory followed India’s hard-fought 3-2 comeback win over Singapore. India had earlier opened its Group F campaign with a 3-0 victory over Indonesia. The successive wins helped India advance to the knockout stage.
India’s men’s team, however, faced a difficult outing, losing 0-3 to Iran. The contrasting results made it a mixed day for the Indian paddlers.
The women’s team will now turn its attention to the quarterfinal stage, where the challenge will become tougher as the leading Asian teams compete for the medals.