Para Sports
Asian Para TT C'ships: Bhavina Patel falls to 8-time Paralympic champion
The former Paralympic medalist lost to China's Zhang Bian in the quarterfinal of Women's Singles Class 4-5.
Bhavina Patel bowed out in quarterfinal of 2025 Asian Para TT Championships. (File Photo)
The star Indian paddler, Bhavina Patel, had a disappointing quarterfinal exit at the 2025 Asian Para Table Tennis Championships in Beijing, China, on Thursday.
She bowed down against the 8-time Paralympic champion Zhang Bian of China in a four-game affair, 11-8, 3-11, 8-11, 9-11, in the women's singles 4-5 category.
Bhavina, a Class 4 player, had to combine with the Class 5 category at this competition due to the lack of entries, effectively doubling the competition level in her category.
She eventually, despite being top-seeded in the Class 4 category, had a quarterfinal matchup against a tough opponent, Zhang, who is the Paris Paralympic champion in Class 5.
First-ever medal in men's singles
On the other hand, India secured a double podium in the men's singles class 1 category, as both Jehan Madan and Sandeep Dangi advanced to the semifinals.
They reached the semi-finals after finishing second in their group. However, they lost the semi-finals to their respective Korean opponents, but clinched two bronze medals for India.
With this, they also become the first male Indian paddlers to win a medal at the Asian Para TT Championships and the overall first medal since 2017.
From Para-Athletics to Table Tennis: Ekta Bhyan’s Medal Streak
Ekta Bhyan, who has recently won a club throw silver medal at the World Para Athletics Championships, won a bronze here in a completely different sport within a gap of one week.
She competed in women's singles class 1 category, which is the most severe para TT class, seamlessly transitioning from para-athletics with remarkable grit.
In a single round robin format, Ekta finished third after two losses and a most crucial win in the final game against Kazakhstan's Yekaterina Federenko to win a bronze medal.
Earlier in the day, Sonalben Patel confirmed her medal by reaching the semi-final with a straight-game 11-2, 11-4, 11-2 win against Alena Kutyavina of Kazakhstan in women's singles class 2-3.
However, the Commonwealth Games medalist could not get past South Korea's Seo Su Yeon in semi-finals, losing in straight games 8-11, 5-11, 6-11 to settle for a bronze medal.
With this, India finished the singles competition with 4 bronze medals and will now fight to add a few more medals in the doubles category, which will begin on Friday.
