The Indian men’s table tennis team was handed a tough draw at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Wednesday.
The team comprising of veteran paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar will open their campaign against heavyweights China in the 16-team competition.
Sharath Kamal, meanwhile, will start his men’s singles campaign against Deni Kozul of Slovenia in the Round of 64.
Desai, the other Indian in men’s singles has been drawn to start his campaign in the preliminary round against Zaid Abo Yaman of Jordan.
The Indian women’s team of Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, and Archana Kamath have been drawn to face Romania in the first round, followed by a possible quarter-finals against either Germany or the United States of America.
Batra, who had become the first Indian to reach the Round of 32 in table tennis at the Olympics in Tokyo three years ago, has a favourable draw in women’s singles. She will be up against Anna Hursey of Great Britian in the Round of 64, followed by a potential Round of 32 clash against a higher ranked Indian origin player of France Prithika Pavade.
Akula, meanwhile, will be up against a lower ranked Sweden’s Christina Kallberg in the Round of 64.
Tennis
Meanwhile in tennis, Sumit Nagal will be up against local lad Corentin Moutet of France in the first round.
A win will most likely put him up against Australia’s world No 6 Alex de Minaur. Nagal had made it to the second round of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The men’s doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji will open their campaign against a French duo of Fabien Reboul and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
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