The Indian table tennis players had a bitter-sweet day at the Asian Games as the mixed doubles team of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Poulomi Ghatak crashed out while the women's doubles team got the better of arch-rivals Pakistan in a round-of-32 match in Incheon on Monday.
Star paddler Sharath Kamal and Poulomi lost to Thai pair Padasak Tanviriyavechakul and Suthasiniin Sawettabut 6-11, 9-11, 14-16 in a round-of-32 match at the Suwon Gymnasium. West Bengal ace Poulomi then combined with Ankita Das to thrash the Pakistani duo Shabnam Bilal and Rahila Kashif 11-5, 11-1, 11-7 in just 12 minutes.
The India duo of Amalraj Anthony Arputharaj and Madhurika Suhas Patkar got past the Mongolians Munkh Orgil Batbayar and Enkhjin Barkhas 12-10, 11-3, 11-6 to enter the mixed doubles pre-quarterfinals.
In the women's singles, Ankita humbled Menwah Alshammari of Kuwait 11-4, 11-9, 11-3, 11-9 in a best-of-seven clash to move into the round-of-32.
In the final match, Neha Aggarwal, the only female table tennis player to represent the nation in Olympics -- 2008 Beijing Games -- combined with Madhurika to make it to the last-16.
The Neha-Madhurika duo eased past Aishath Nisa and Aminath Shiura Shareef of Maldives 11-3, 11-6, 11-2 in the round-of-32 clash.
Image: Sharath Kamal Achanta of India
Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
