India exits Asian Table Tennis Championships after shock defeat to Singapore

India’s campaign at the Asian Team Table Tennis Championships came to a premature end on home soil, as both the men’s and women’s teams crashed out in the quarterfinal stage.

The women’s side, seeded fourth, suffered a 2–3 defeat to Singapore in Bhubaneshwar on Tuesday — a result that ended India’s hopes of securing a medal in front of home fans.

Despite entering the tie as favourites, India struggled to find rhythm and composure. Star paddler Manika Batra appeared out of form and fell to an opponent ranked over a hundred places below her.

Diya Chitale, who led 2–1 in her match, was unable to capitalise on her advantage as nerves crept in during the decisive moments. Yashaswini Ghorpade delivered a hard-fought win to keep India in contention, but Singapore ultimately held firm to clinch victory and a place in the semifinals.

In other women’s action, top-seeded China swept Thailand 3–0 in under an hour, with Wang Manyu, Sun Yingsha, and Kuai Man displaying complete dominance.

The men’s quarterfinals produced early drama when Iran’s 15-year-old Benyamin Faraji stunned world No. 2 Lin Shidong of China 3–2, adding another major scalp after defeating world No. 1 Wang Chuqin earlier in the season.

However, China recovered swiftly as Liang Jingkun, Wang Chuqin, and Lin regrouped to seal a 3–1 win. Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei edged DPR Korea 3–2 in a 23-game thriller.