Indian Women's Table Tennis Team Falls Short in Asian Games Quarterfinals

The Indian women's table tennis team faced a disappointing exit from the Asian Games after losing 0-3 to North Korea in the quarterfinals. Despite a hard-fought victory against Thailand in the previous round, the team struggled to maintain their momentum. Key players like Sreeja Akula and Yashaswini Ghorpade were unable to secure wins against their North Korean opponents. Meanwhile, the men's team also faced elimination, highlighting a challenging tournament for Indian table tennis. Read on for a detailed breakdown of the matches and performances.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 22, 2026, 18:50 IST

Disappointing Exit for Indian Women’s Team

In a disappointing turn of events, the Indian women's table tennis team was eliminated from the Asian Games after suffering a 0-3 defeat against North Korea in the quarterfinals. This outcome was slightly better than the men's team, which was knocked out in the round of 16.

The women’s team had previously secured a spot in the quarterfinals by narrowly defeating Thailand 3-2. However, they were unable to maintain their winning momentum against the North Korean players.

In the opening match, Kim Kum Yong, ranked 164th in the world, faced off against India's top player Sreeja Akula, who is ranked 58th. Kim triumphed decisively with a score of 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-5).

The second match saw DPRK's Pyon Song Gyong, ranked 179th, dominate Yashaswini Ghorpade, who is ranked 76th, winning 3-0 (11-4, 11-3, 11-6).

With India trailing 0-2, hopes rested on Diya Chitale, ranked 66th, but she too fell short against Cha Su Yong, ranked 169th, losing 0-3 (9-11, 7-11, 8-11).

Earlier in the tournament, the Indian women had managed to edge past Thailand. Sreeja lost her first match 2-3 (11-7, 11-1, 9-11, 6-11, 10-12) to Orawan Paranang, while Yashaswini secured a 3-2 victory over Suthasini Sawettabut (11-5, 5-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9).

Diya Chitale faced a tough match against Jinnipa Sawettabut, ultimately losing 2-3 (7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 7-11, 11-13). Yashaswini then brought India back into contention with a strong 3-0 win over Paranang, and Sreeja clinched the decisive match against Suthasini 3-1 (9-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8).

In contrast, the Indian men's team also faced disappointment against Korea. Harmeet Desai started strong with an 11-8 win but lost the next three games to Jang Woo-jin, finishing 1-3 (11-8, 7-11, 8-11, 9-11).

Manush Shah struggled after an initial 4-11 loss but managed to win two games before ultimately losing 2-3 (4-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-13, 6-11) to Oh Jungsung. Manav Thakkar also faced defeat, losing 1-3 (10-12, 6-11, 11-7, 10-12) to An Jaeh-yun.