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Indias womens table tennis team have been knocked out of the Asian Games 2026 after suffering a 0-3 defeat against North Korea in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Sreeja Akula was the first Indian player in action and faced Kim Kum Yong in the opening match of the tie. Kim took the first game 11-7 before maintaining her advantage to win the next two games 11-6, 11-5, giving North Korea a 1-0 lead. India then looked to Yashaswini Ghorpade to level the tie against Pyon Song Gyong. Yashaswini, who had impressed throughout the tournament after coming into the team in place of Manika Batra, struggled against the North Korean player. Pyon won the opening two games 11-4 and 11-3 to put North Korea within one match of victory. Yashaswini fought back in the third game, but Pyon closed out the match by winning the fourth game 11-6 to make it 2-0 in North Koreas favour. With India needing a win to stay alive in the tie, Diya Chitale took on Cha Su Yong in the third match. Diya fought hard but Cha took the opening game 11-9. The North Korean then won the second game 11-7 before sealing the match with an 11-8 victory in the third game. The 3-0 win sent North Korea into the womens team semifinals, while Indias campaign in the womens team event came to an end. Earlier on Tuesday, India rallied from behind to defeat Thailand 3-2 in a thrilling womens team table tennis Round of 16 tie, with Sreeja Akula sealing the win in the deciding match. Notably, Indias mens team had also suffered a 0-3 defeat against South Korea in their quarterfinal, bringing an end to Indias team campaigns in table tennis at the Asian Games 2026. (ANI)
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