India women's table tennis team stun Singapore in thrilling comeback as men suffer 0-3 loss at Asian Games

India’s table tennis campaign at the Asian Games began with contrasting results in the team events, with the women staging a remarkable comeback against Singapore while the men suffered a 0-3 defeat to Iran on Sunday. The Indian women, who had opened their campaign with a 3-0 win over Indonesia, came from 1-2 down to beat Singapore 3-2 in their second Group F tie at the Sky Hall Toyota. Yashaswini Ghorpade and Sreeja Akula held their nerve in the final two matches to seal the victory.India now have four points from their opening two ties and sit atop Group F. Yashaswini had put India ahead with a 3-1 win over Jian Zeng, but Singapore fought back as Sreeja lost a thrilling five-game contest to Ming Loy.Zhao Tan then beat Diya Chitale in four games to put Singapore 2-1 ahead.With India staring at defeat, Sreeja responded emphatically, recovering from losing the opening game 6-11 to beat her opponent 3-1. She won the next three games 11-3, 11-7, 11-4 to level the tie. Yashaswini then returned for the decider and showed considerable composure.After losing the opening game 5-11, she won the next two 11-8, 12-10 before Singapore forced a fifth with an 11-4 win. The final game went down to the wire, but Yashaswini held her nerve to win 11-9 and complete the comeback.Big medal hopes in doublesThe biggest expectations are centred around Manush Shah and Diya Chitale in mixed doubles, while Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah will carry significant hopes in the men’s doubles. Both combinations have spent the year competing against some of the best pairs and have been ranked among the world’s top five.The depth within the Indian contingent is also a reflection of how much the sport has grown in the country. Four of the five members of both the men’s and women’s teams are ranked inside the world’s top 100. But Asia remains the toughest examination in table tennis, with China, Japan, South Korea and Chinese Taipei providing a formidable presence.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.