The Indian men's team advanced to the semi-finals while the women's team was eliminated from the ongoing Asian Table Tennis Championships 2023 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
A place in the final four assures the men's team a medal at the continental championships, as both losing semi-finalists are rewarded bronze medals.
A 3-0 victory over Singapore secured a place in the last four for the third-seeded Indian men's table tennis team, which included veteran Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran.
Meanwhile, the women's squad of Manika Batra, Ayhika Mukherjee, and Sutirtha Mukherjee were eliminated after a 0-3 loss against Japan in the last-eight match.
In the men's team quarter-finals, Sharath Kamal defeated Singapore's Izaac Quek 3-2 in a dramatic encounter to give India the lead in the first match. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran extended India's advantage with a 3-0 victory over Pang Yew En Koen. Harmeet Desai won 3-0 over Clarence Chew Zhe Yu to complete the victory.
In the women's team quarter-finals, India’s Ayhika Mukherjee lost 0-3 to Japan's Mima Ito. Manika Batra (1-3) and Sutirtha Mukherjee (1-3) also lost to Hina Hayata and Miu Hirano, respectively. On Tuesday, the trio will compete in the classification match for the 5-8 position.
Manika Batra and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran of India will compete in mixed doubles on Tuesday. After obtaining a bye in the round of 64, the Indian pair will face the Thai combination of Sanguansin Phakpoom and Paranang Orawan in the round of 32.
The Asian Table Tennis Championships, being held in Pyeongchang for the 26th time, serves as a qualification tournament for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The winners of the men's and women's team events, as well as the mixed doubles competition, will all earn a spot in next year's Paris Olympics.
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