Paris Olympics: India’s Table Tennis Hopes Dashed as Women’s Team Falls to Germany in Quarters

Paris: India’s table tennis journey at the Paris Olympics concluded on Wednesday as the women’s team, featuring Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, and Archana Kamath, was defeated 3-1 by Germany in the quarterfinals.

The Indian team, seeded 11th, initially triumphed over fourth-seeded Romania with a thrilling 3-2 victory in the Round of 16 on Monday. However, against the fifth-seeded German team, India struggled. Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath, paired with Manika Batra, lost the first two matches, giving Germany a 2-0 lead. Kamath then secured a win against Shan Xiaona, narrowing the deficit to 2-1. Despite Kamath’s efforts, Annett Kaufmann clinched her second win of the quarterfinal, ensuring Germany’s progression to the semifinals.

This defeat also marked the end of India’s table tennis campaign in Paris, including the men’s team comprising Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar. The men’s team was eliminated in the Round of 16 by the top-seeded Chinese team on Tuesday.

Notably, this Olympics was historic for India as it was the first time the country competed in both men’s and women’s team events. In the individual events, Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula had commendable runs, reaching the women’s singles quarterfinals, while Harmeet Desai and Sharath Kamal were knocked out in the first round of the men’s singles.