Bhavina, Sonalben, Sahana and Prachi clinch TT medals

Bhavina Patel, Sonalben Patel, Baby Sahana Ravi and Prachi have secured table tennis medals for India after reaching the semi-finals of the Asian Para Games at Aichi-Nagoya. The four players advanced in different classes on Monday, guaranteeing the country medals before their respective last-four matches.

The results also marked a significant achievement for India in the standing categories. Prachi and Sahana both finished second in their respective groups before qualifying directly for the semi-finals, assuring India of its first-ever table tennis medals in those categories.

Bhavina, a Paralympic silver medallist and former Commonwealth Games gold medallist, ensured another Para Asiad medal with a quarter-final victory in the women’s Class 4-5 competition. Sonalben also moved into the semi-finals after winning her Class 3 quarter-final.

Four Indian players through in four classes

Prachi earned her place in the women’s Class 6 semi-finals after battling past Thailand’s Kanokporn Phathumchai. Her next match is against Iraq’s Najlah Al-Dayyeni, with a place in the final at stake.

In women’s singles Class 9 Group B, Baby Sahana Ravi defeated Kazakhstan’s Altynay Yerzhankyzy 3-0. The result helped Sahana finish second in her group and move directly into the semi-finals. She will face China’s Jingdian Mao in the last four.

Sonalben progressed in the Class 3 event by defeating Thailand’s Dararat Asayut in the quarter-finals. Class 3 is a wheelchair category for athletes with poor sitting balance and limited trunk control, while retaining normal or near-normal arm and hand function.

Bhavina’s quarter-final win came against China’s Zhang Miao in Class 4-5. After losing the opening game 8-11, Bhavina responded strongly to take the next three games 11-6, 11-1 and 11-6. The 3-1 victory confirmed her place in the semi-finals and secured back-to-back medals for her at the Para Asiad.

Class 4-5 features athletes with physical impairments who compete while seated. Bhavina’s recovery after the first game was decisive on the scoreboard, as she allowed Zhang only 13 points across the final three games.

Semi-final places guarantee medals

All four Indian players now have medals assured under the competition’s semi-final structure, while their upcoming matches will determine whether they can advance to the title matches. Prachi will meet Najlah Al-Dayyeni, Sahana faces Jingdian Mao, and Bhavina and Sonalben have already completed the quarter-final stage in their respective seated classes.

The four semi-final berths span women’s Class 3, Class 4-5, Class 6 and Class 9, underlining the breadth of India’s medal-winning showing in table tennis at Aichi-Nagoya. For Prachi and Sahana in particular, their progress has delivered the country’s first table tennis medals in the standing categories.

Bhavina’s win over Zhang provided the only game-by-game score detailed from the four medal-clinching performances, while Sahana’s straight-games victory over Yerzhankyzy was another clear result on the day. India will now look to turn its four guaranteed medals into final appearances when the semi-finals are played on Tuesday.