India's Table Tennis Team Exits Asian Games After Loss to South Korea

India's Defeat in Men's Table Tennis

In Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on September 22, India faced a disappointing 0-3 defeat against South Korea in the men's team table tennis Round of 16 at the Asian Games 2026, marking the end of their journey in the tournament.

The Indian team fell behind 0-2 as Harmeet Desai and Manush Shah lost their singles matches. Harmeet was defeated by Jang Woojin in four games, with scores of 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, and 9-11. Manush Shah put up a strong fight against the world-ranked 23, Oh Junsung, but ultimately lost 2-3 in a nail-biting match.

Manush initially led 2-1 after winning the third game 13-11 and even had a 4-1 advantage in the deciding game. However, Oh Junsung made a comeback, winning the final game 11-13, 6-11, after Manush had taken the first two games 4-11, 11-8, and 13-11. With India needing a victory to remain in contention, Manav Thakkar faced An Jaehyun in the third singles match.

Manav kept hopes alive by winning the third game 11-7 after losing the first two games 10-12 and 6-11. However, An Jaehyun clinched the match in the fourth game with a score of 12-10, resulting in a 3-0 victory for South Korea and concluding India's men's team campaign.

On a brighter note, India's women's table tennis team advanced to the quarterfinals after a 3-2 victory over Thailand, while the women's badminton team faced a setback, losing 3-1 to Japan in the quarterfinals.

In shooting, Anantjeet Singh Naruka secured second place, while Mairaj Khan and Bhavtegh Singh Gill finished 23rd and 35th, respectively, after Day 2 of the men's skeet individual qualification. Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane achieved fourth place in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team final, and Sakshi Chaudhary progressed in boxing by defeating Aira Villegas from the Philippines in the women's 51kg Round of 32.

In fencing, Taniksha Khatri triumphed over Natpapat Sangngio in the women's individual epee Round of 32, while Hemash Singh Sanasam and Sachin were eliminated in the men's individual foil after Round of 32 losses. In soft tennis, Aryan Thakur and Jay Meena secured victories, although Aadhya Tiwari faced defeat.

India's men's kabaddi team achieved a significant win against South Korea with a score of 63-31, while the sepaktakraw team lost 0-3 to Malaysia. In swimming, Aryan Nehra finished fourth in the men's 1500m freestyle final B, and India's 4x100m medley relay team qualified for the final.

In wushu, Langlentombi Devi Hanjabam placed ninth in the women's Nanquan final, while Chetan Bhatt and Alisha Choudhary were defeated in karate. In equestrian dressage, Ashish Limaye finished 13th, Arjan Nagra 23rd, and Fouaad Mirza 26th. Additionally, India's eFootball duo of Shakeel Danial Patel and Chinmay Sahoo drew 0-0 with Uzbekistan in Group F.