India’s paddlers had a strong start to their campaign in the World Table Tennis Team Championships as they blanked Vietnam 3-0 in the first round of the second division in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
India’s paddlers had a strong start to their campaign in the World Table Tennis Team Championships as they blanked Vietnam 3-0 in the first round of the second division in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
Clubbed in Group F, they thumped Vietnam in quick time. Opening the attack for India, A. Sharath Kamal defeated Anh Tu Nguyen 11-8, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6.
For Anthony Amalraj, who took on Tien Dat Le in the next rubber, it was rather easy as he disposed of his opponent 12-10, 11-5, 11-6 before Harmeet Desai downed Ba Tuan Anh Doan 11-5, 13-11, 12-10 in a tough contest. Despite the threat from Doan, the Indian had things under control.
Indian take on Turkey on Monday in their next encounter followed by matches against Nigeria, Switzerland and the Slovak Republic.
There are 24 teams in the second division divided into four groups of six teams each. The teams will compete in a round-robin format with the top teams qualifying for the second stage of the draw.
India’s women’s team of Manika Batra, Mouma Das, K. Shamini, Pooja Sahasrabudde and Madhurika Patkar take on Columbia, in the first round of Stage 1 in the Second Division on Monday.
