Indian campaign in TT ends with all 1st round defeats on Day 1

Indian table tennis quartet led by veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal ended its Olympic campaign on the opening day itself as all four players lost their first round matches, here

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Save Mouma Das, who was blown away by 0-4 margin in just 21 minutes, Sharath and Soumyajit Ghosh got a game each from their respective opponents before going down 1-4. Debutant Manika Batra was the best performer as she lost by scoreline of 2-4.

Interestingly, the cumulative duration of India's Olympic TT journey was 139 minutes (2 hrs and 19 minutes).

India's most decorated player Sharath lost to another veteran Crisan Adrian of Romania 11-8 14-12 9-11 11-6 11-8 in 35 minutes. Adrian was world No 20 at one point of time in his career and is currently a top-100 player (ranked 90th).

It was no different in the other match in the men's section for world No 68 Soumyajit Ghosh, who also made a first round exit, losing to Padasak Tanviriyavechakul by 1-4 margin in 35 minutes.

Left-handed Padasak, a medallist at the South East Asian Games, won 11-8 11-6 12-14 11-6 13-11 in a well-contested match that was more closely fought than the scoreline would suggest.

In the women's event, the 34-year-old world no 150 Mouma, who is well past her prime, posed a challenge that was lukewarm and short-lived.

The Indian veteran, in her second Olympics, lost to world No 58 Daniela Dodean Monteiro of Romania 2-11 7-11 7-11 3-11 in mere 21 minutes.

Debutant Manika, on the other hand, put up a good fight before going down to her 60th-ranked Polish rival Katarzyna Franc-Grzybowska 12-10 6-11 12-14 11-8 4-11 12-14 in 48 minutes in another preliminary round clash.