Hong Kong sweep India 3-0 to reach medal rounds in Asian Team TT

Bhubaneswar, Oct 12 (PTI) India's men's table tennis team suffered a one-sided 0-3 defeat against Hong Kong in the quarterfinals of the 28th ITTF-ATTU Asian Team Table Tennis Championships, here on Sunday.

Despite India's higher world ranking at No 4, Hong Kong, ranked sixth, displayed superior composure, tactical awareness, and discipline to claim a comfortable victory.

India, bronze medallists in the last three editions, struggled to mount any sustained challenge. Korea will now face India in the classification round for fifth place.

Wong Chun Ting, ranked 48th globally, set the tone by defeating India's left-hander Manush Shah 11-5 11-9 13-11.

In the second match, India's most experienced player, Manav Thakkar (world No. 39), recovered from two games down to level 2-2 against Chan Baldwin but faltered in the decider, handing Hong Kong a 2-0 lead.

Young Ankur Bhattacharjee gave India a spirited start in the third rubber against Lam Siu Hang, winning two games, but Lam's experience saw Hong Kong complete the clean sweep.

India's foreign expert Massimo Costantini lauded Hong Kong's composure and noted that the young Indian team would learn from the defeat.

"Full credit to Hong Kong, especially the way the three played, keeping their cool at tense moments and finishing crucial points well, unlike the Indian paddlers, who had their moments and failed to grab them," Costantini said.

"With pressure mounting on each player after that, they could not sustain and wilted. Yet, I would say, it is a young team, and they will learn from their mistakes." In another quarterfinal, Japan overcame South Korea 3-1, with world No. 4 Tomokazu Harimoto leading the way.

Results Men: Hong Kong (China) bt India 3-0 (Wong Chun Ting bt Manush Shah 11-5, 11-9, 13-11; Chan Baldwin bt Manav Thakkar 11-8, 11-8, 10-12, 9-11, 11-8; Lam Siu Hang bt Ankur Bhattacharjee 7-11, 11-9, 12-14, 11-6, 11-7); Japan bt Korea 3-1 (Tomokazu Harimoto bt An Jaehyun 11-9, 13-11, 11-7; Sora Matsushima bt Cho Daeseong 14-12, 10-12, 4-11, 11-8, 11-4; Shunsuke Togami lost to Oh Junsung 7-11, 5-11, 8-11; Harimoto bt An 11-5, 11-9, 11-6). PTI TAP SSC SSC