New Delhi: Indian men posted an emphatic 3-1 win when they beat Tokyo Olympic silver medal winners Germany for their successive victory in Group 2 of the ITTF World Championships in Chengdu today.
Taking the cue and inspired by their performance, the women’s squad thrashed the Czech Republic 3-0 for their first triumph, putting their initial loss to Germany yesterday in Group 5.
G. Sathiyan, ranked 37 in the world, began the proceedings against Duda Benedikt, ranked a run above the Indian, on the wrong foot, and lost the first two games. However, he held his nerve and fought back well to take the tie 11-13, 4-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-9, and gave India the advantage of a 1-0 lead.
The normally-reliable Harmeet Desai found the going tough against Qiu Dang and World no. 9, managing just a game off him. He lost 7-11, 9-11, 13-11, 3-11, giving a distinct advantage to the Germans. But Manav Thakkar, playing the third singles, had other ideas. The 142nd- ranked Indian defeated the high-ranked (No. 74) Ricardo Walther 13-11, 6-11, 11-8, 12-10.
But the onus was on Sathiyan, and coming back for his reverse singles, the Indian did not disappoint. Instead, a rejuvenated and confident Sathiyan defeated the world No. 9 paddler 10-12, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9. This win, too, had a pattern to it. Like in the first tie against Benedikt, he changed his ploy and attacked when pushed to the brink. The German, unable to find his rhythm back, failed to tackle the resurgence of his opponent.
Brushing aside their loss yesterday, the Indian women began positively when Manika Batra beat Hana Matelova of the Czech Republic in the opening tie. Manika, No. 44, accounted for the World No 28, shutting out her opponent, 11-6, 11-6, 8-11, 12-10, in the fourth game at the first opportunity after deuce.
A calm and confident Sreeja Akula and the 77th-ranked Indian piled on the pressure to beat Marketa Sevcikova 11-5, 11-3, 11-8. Diya Chitale, riding on the 2-0 lead and with a boosted self-confidence after his excellent performance yesterday, was up to the task. The teenager dropped the first but recovered well to beat Katerina Tomanovska 11-13, 15-13, 12-10, 14-12 in all the extended games.
Tomorrow, our men will take on Kazakhstan, while the women will play Egypt.
TTFI
