India’s men’s and women’s table tennis teams were eliminated from the Asian Games on Tuesday, with the women’s side exiting in the quarterfinals after a 0-3 defeat to North Korea.
The Indian women had advanced to the last eight after overcoming Thailand 3-2 in a closely fought round-of-16 tie at Sky Hall. However, they were unable to carry that momentum into their quarterfinal against North Korea.
World No. 164 Kim Kum Yong gave North Korea an early advantage by defeating India’s highest-ranked women’s singles player, Sreeja Akula, ranked No. 58, in straight games. Kim won the opening match 11-7, 11-6, 11-5.
The defeat brought India’s women’s team campaign to an end in the quarterfinal stage, while the men’s team had earlier been knocked out in the round of 16.
The results mean India will now turn its attention to the individual table tennis events, with players looking to continue the country’s campaign at the continental competition.
