In a landmark achievement, Team India triumphed over Romania to advance to the quarterfinals of the women’s table tennis team competition for the first time ever at the ongoing Paris Olympics on Monday.
Thrilling Victory
India clinched a nail-biting 3-2 victory against Romania at the South Paris Arena. The team secured an early lead, with Sreeja Akula-Archana Kamath and Manika Batra winning their respective matches with clean 3-0 scores.
The Comeback
Romania mounted a strong comeback in the singles matches. Sreeja Akula faced a tough defeat, losing 3-2 in a closely contested match. Archana Kamath also fell to Romania with a 3-1 loss, bringing the overall score to a tense 2-2.
Decisive Match
In the final match of the tie, Manika Batra delivered a stellar performance, defeating Adina Diaconu 3-0, sealing India’s victory and their historic advancement to the quarterfinals.
Future Opponents
India will now face either the USA or Germany in the upcoming women’s table tennis quarterfinals. This marks a significant milestone as it is the first time India is represented in both the men’s and women’s table tennis team events at the Olympics, having qualified based on their rankings in March.
Notable Achievements
While the Indian paddlers concluded their singles campaigns without a medal, they made history with Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula reaching the Round of 16, becoming the first Indian paddlers to achieve this feat.
Paris Olympics 2024
The Paris Olympics 2024, held from July 26 to August 11, is notable for India as it is the first Olympics where India is participating in the men’s and women’s team table tennis events since their introduction in Beijing 2008.
