India’s journey at the 2024 Asian Table Tennis Championship will be remembered as a historic moment, marking a new chapter in the nation’s sporting history.
The championship was filled with highs, near-misses, and a first-ever team medal in the tournament.
The Indian team, led by standout players like Ayhika Mukherjee, Manika Batra, and the Mukherjees, showcased their growing stature as soon as they took centre-stage starting day 2.
Day 2(8 Oct): A Medal in the Bag
India’s women’s team created history by confirming their first-ever medal at the ATTU Asian Table Tennis Championships.
Ayhika Mukherjee was the star, taking the spotlight with two brilliant victories—defeating world no. 8 Shin Yubin and world no. 19 Jeon Jihee. Manika Batra also played a crucial role, toppling Jeon Jihee, although she narrowly missed out against Shin Yubin.
Despite Sreeja Akula’s unexpected loss to a lower-ranked opponent, India edged out South Korea with a 3-2 win.
Day 3: A Fight to the Finish
The day featured intense battles, with scorelines not always reflecting the tenacity of the Indian team.
Ayhika lost a heartbreaker to world no. 7 Miwa Harimoto, going down 10-12 in the deciding set.
However, Manika made up for it by thrashing world no. 17 Satsuki Odo in straight games. Sutirtha Mukherjee battled valiantly against world no. 9 Mima Ito, losing two games by the narrowest of margins.
Manika was again in action but couldn’t overcome the “hurricane” Miwa Harimoto, ultimately losing 1-3 despite her best efforts. It was a gallant display by the Indian girls- even though the final scoreline read 1-3, a few points could have turned the scoreline over.
Meanwhile, the men’s team comfortably dispatched Kazakhstan 3-1, maintaining their momentum in the competition. Mixed doubles action saw mixed fortunes, with Manika-Manav defeating an Uzbek pairing, while the experienced duo of Diya Chitale and Manush Shah suffered a surprise defeat to a pair from Chinese Taipei ranked outside the top-100.
Day 4: The Rollercoaster Begins
The men’s team semifinal against Chinese Taipei turned into a one-sided affair, with India losing 0-3.
Manika-Manav, despite their best efforts, couldn’t overcome the world no. 11 pair of Kim and Ri, losing a closely fought contest. A straight-set loss to the world no. 10 pair from Taipei, in the placement match, ended the day on a disappointing note for India.
Next up we had two days of bumper action, filled with excitement and heartbreak for Indian fans.
Day 5: Highs and Lows Continue
It began with straightforward wins in men’s and women’s doubles round of 32, followed by comfortable wins for Manav and Manush in men’s singles round of 128. But a defeat for Sathiyan to a player ranked outside 250 was a shocker.
Then normalcy was restored as ’the Mukherjees’ marched into the women’s doubles quarterfinals. Yet, the Diya-Manika duo faced heartbreak, losing a dramatic five-set encounter after leading 5-0 in the
decider.
Both men’s doubles teams also lost 2-3 in agonisingly close matches. There was some semblance restored with confident wins for all but Sutirtha, who lost to the eventual winner, in women’s singles round of 64.
The men’s singles round of 64 was a roller-coaster ride for fans as Manush won comfortably, Manav won a very close battle, Harmeet overcame a mid-match slump to a 3-1 victory but Sharath Kamal’s surprise loss to a Saudi Arabian player ranked outside the top 500 dampened spirits.
In women’s singles round of 32. Manika lived to the expectations by winning in straight games against
Cheng Hsien Tzu, but Diya disappointed as she was unable to put up any semblance of fight against
Chen Xingtong. And the day ended with another horrible result as the Indian No.1 Sreeja lost to a much lower ranked Kuai Man in straight games.
In the women’s singles round of 32, while Manika sailed through comfortably against Cheng Hsien Tzu, others exited early, with Sreeja’s straight-game loss to a much lower-ranked Kuai Man and Diya unable to put up a fight against Chen Xingtong being particularly disappointing. Ayhika was blown away in the first game but made a good comeback to level 1-1, still lost a closely fought match 1-3 to Mima Ito who showed her experience in playing the crucial points.
Day 6: Glimmers of Hope and Crushing Defeats
Manush’s straight-set upset win over world no. 23 An Jaehyun in the men’s singles round of 32 and
Manav’s huge victory over world no.14 Jang Woojin made Indian fans believe. And Ayhika-Sutirtha made it 3/4 wins for us against powerhouse South Korea that morning with a 3-1 win against the Korean pair Kim-Lee in accordance with the expectations, so we may cut Harmeet some slack for losing to world no.30 Lim Jonghoon.
But the afternoon matches saw fortunes turn for the worse. Manika faced Harimoto again, and despite her leveling the round of 16 match at 1-1, Miwa pulled away to win 3-1.
Manush, after a stellar start- he led 2-1 despite narrowly missing out 12-14 in the opener- was edged out by world no. 11 Lin Yun-Ju in the men’s singles round of 16 encounter.
Manav, unexpectedly, lost 0-3 to an opponent ranked more than 60 places below him, in a match that was particularly disappointing for the lack of fight and inability to keep up the momentum from hours before.
Final Day: A Moment to Cherish
Reaching the final day was an achievement in itself for the Indian contingent, and the fans could hope,
believe, and dream. Nonetheless the fairytale run came to an end with a 1-3 loss in the final, a reverse of the 2023 Tunis triumph; but not without a medal, another first, to make it our best-ever performance at the asian showdown.
The Rise of Indian Table Tennis
India’s performance at the 2024 Asian Table Tennis Championships is a testament to the sport’s growing
prominence in the country. Notwithstanding some disappointing exits and some unfortunate results, the team made its mark on the toughest continent for the sport.
This tournament has highlighted India’s potential and emphasized the need for greater support and recognition for table tennis in the country.
As a witness to these historic achievements, it is clear that Indian table tennis is on an upward trajectory.
The future looks bright for the nation’s players, and with continued backing, Indian table tennis could soon be a dominant force in Asia and the world, with players more dedicated and hungrier than ever to keep climbing the ladder and bring more laurels for the nation
Written by Mohit
