In a hard-fought quarterfinal match at the Paris Olympics, Archana Kamath’s brief resistance wasn’t enough as India succumbed 1-3 to a technically superior German team in the women’s table tennis team event on Wednesday.
The Indian pair of Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath started strong but ultimately lost the opening doubles match 5-11, 11-8, 10-12, 6-11 to Germany’s Yuan Wan and Xiona Shan.
Despite holding their ground until the third game, a loss in deuce led to their defeat.
In the first singles match, Indian star Manika Batra struggled despite winning the first game, ultimately losing the next three (11-8, 5-11, 7-11, 5-11) to Annett Kaufmann, giving Germany a 2-0 lead in the tie.
Archana Kamath provided a glimmer of hope by winning her second singles match against Xiona Shan (19-17, 1-11, 11-5, 11-9), but the momentum was short-lived.
In the third singles, Annett Kaufmann defeated Sreeja Akula 11-6, 11-7, 11-7, sealing the tie for Germany and securing their place in the semifinals.
Earlier in the tournament, the Indian women’s team, comprising Manika, Sreeja, and Archana, triumphed over higher-ranked Romania 3-2 in a thrilling encounter to reach the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the Indian men’s team, led by veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal, faced a 0-3 defeat to powerhouse China in the pre-quarterfinals.
Despite these setbacks, Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula made history by becoming the first Indian players to reach the round of 16 in the individual event at the Olympics, although they were unable to progress further.
The 2024 Paris Olympics marked India’s debut in the team event for table tennis at the Games, an event introduced at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.