ITTF-ATTU Asian Championships: Indian women trounce Jordan & Nepal

The prestigious continental competiton is taking place in Qatar.

The Indian women's table tennis team began their 2021 ITTF-ATTU Asian Championships journey in style, crushing Jordan 3-0 in their opening match. This is India's first Group 1 fixture, which also contains Nepal.

Facing Jordan at the Lusail Sports Arena, India's charge was led by Sutirtha Mukherjee. She had secured a famous victory at the Tokyo Olympics, against higher-ranked Linda Bergstrom of Sweden. On Tuesday, she took on Jordan's Bara Al-Wedian at the Asian Championships. The 25-year-old showed her class throughout the contest, going on to comfortably win 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 to give India a 1-0 lead. The match lasted for just 14 minutes and five seconds.

Next it was the turn of Archana Kamath. Kamath is also in good touch, having recently made it to the quarterfinals of the Czech International Open. On the way, she had ousted second-seed Paulina Vega of Chile. Therefore, she was full of confidence ahead of her match-up against Taimmaa Abo-Yaman of Jordan. Similar to her compatriot, she displayed a sense of authority in all three games to easily pocket the match in just 13 minutes and 16 seconds. An 11-6, 11-5, 11-3 victory gave India a comfortable 2-0 lead in the tie at the Asian Championships.

Ayhika catches the eye

Despite the impressive performances of Sutirtha Mukherjee and Kamath, it was Ayhika Mukherjee who stood even taller. A stunning display from the 24-year-old will do her the world of good as far as her confidence is concerned.

During the COVID-19 lockdown in the country, Ayhika had won plenty of plaudits for her humanitarian efforts. She was one of the sportspersons in her native West Bengal to come forward and contribute to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. On Tuesday, it was her turn to shine on the continental stage. Ayhika saw off Jordan's Yara Aldmaisy 11-7, 11-1, 11-1. The match lasted for just 12 minutes and 22 seconds. With that victory, India took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the tie and comfortably won their opening match at the Asian Championships.

Comfortable win against Nepal

The Indian women's team comfortably brushed aside Nepal 3-0 in their final Group 1 fixture. Sreeja Akula made her first appearance in the competition, beating Elina Maharjan 11-6, 11-9, 11-8. Archana Girish Kamath then put Sikka Suwal to the sword by winning 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 to give India a 2-0 lead.

Sutirtha Mukherjee wrapped up the victory by beating Evana Thapa 11-2, 11-8, 11-0. The Indian women will now take on Uzbekistan in a match between the group winners for a place in the quarter-finals.

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