Tokyo Paralympics 2020 Day 2 Preview: Full schedule and where to watch
Tokyo: It was an inauspicious start for India at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, with both the participants of Day 1 unable to win their respective matches on Wednesday.
Sonalben Patel put on a strong show against Li Qian but her Chinese counterpart triumphed eventually, while her teammate Bhavina Patel was unable to beat Zhou Ying in what was a one-sided affair.
However, the Indian para-paddlers have a chance to redeem themselves on Day 2, when the two take on Lee Mi Gyu of South Korea and Megan Shackleton of Great Britain respectively.
READ HERE: 10 Indian athletes to watch out for in Tokyo
Day 2, August 26: Match timings and live telecast details:
Table Tennis:
Fixture: Bhavina Patel vs Megan Shackleton (Great Britain)
Category: Class 4 (Wheelchair) Women's singles
Time: 9:30 am IST
Broadcast: Live telecast on Eurosport India, Discovery Plus app and Doordarshan
Bhavina was up against world number one Chinese paddler Zhou Ying and the Indian went down tamely 3-11 9-11 2-11 in her women's singles Class 4 group A fixture. The match went on for just 18 minutes.
Her next opponent in Group A will be Megan Shackleton of Great Britain on Thursday, who also lost to the same opponent with a similar 3-0 scoreline. The 22-year-old British paddler is a European and World Champion and is currently ranked 10th in the world.
READ HERE: India should pay heed to their Paralympians: Here's why
Fixture: Sonalben Patel vs Lee Mi Gyu
Category: Class 3 (Wheelchair) Women's singles
Time: 5:10 pm IST
Broadcast: Live telecast on Eurosport India, Discovery Plus app and Doordarshan
Sonalben Patel started against Li Qian on the front foot, taking the first game 11-9. However, the Chinese star paddler came back strong, dominating and winning the second set 11-3 in just five minutes. The third set was a marathon as Patel held her nerves against the Rio 2016 silver medalist to edge 17-15.
The Chinese again shifted the momentum to her side as she forced the decider by winning the fourth game by 11-7. Qian gave no respite to Sonalben in the fifth set too, as she clinched the game by 11-4.
Her next opponent is South Korea’s Lee Mi Gyu, who beat Li Qian in her opening match of Group D. The Korean paddler was a Bronze Medallist at the Rio Paralympics in 2016, and went on to beat the silver medallist of the Rio Paralympics Games 3-0.
