Quite fittingly, it took an emotion-filled performance from A. Sharath Kamal to upstage Commonwealth Games champion Yang Zi and script India’s most productive day ever in the Commonwealth table tennis championship.
India settled for the mixed doubles silver after fourth seeds Soumyajit Ghosh and Mouma Das lost to Singapore’s Zhan Jian and Zhou Yihan to add to the two team medals.
India was also assured of two medals each in women’s singles (Mouma, Manika Batra) and doubles (Mouma-K. Shamini and Neha Aggarwal-Madhurika Patkar), besides one each in men’s singles (Sharath) and doubles (Sharath-Subhajit Saha).
The day belonged to Mouma and Sharath. If Mouma made sure of four medals, including team bronze, Sharath firmed up two more in addition to the team silver.
Sharath also denied Singapore a medal sweep in the men’s singles by stopping Yang to avenge the loss suffered in the 2010 Commonwealth Games here. In a nerve-wracking quarterfinal, Sharath squandered a two-game advantage to trail 2-3 before winning 4-3.
The results:
Men: Quarterfinals: Zhan Jian (Sin) bt Andrew Baggaley (Eng) 11-9, 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 4-11 11-9, 11-5; Chen Feng (Sin) bt A. Amalraj bt 11-5, 3-11, 11-9, 12-14, 11-6, 5-11, 11-5; A. Sharath Kamal bt Yang Zi (Sin) 11-3, 11-7, 9-11, 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8; Li Hu (Sin) bt Zubin Kumar 11-7, 11-9, 11-5, 11-3.
Pre-quarterfinals (involving Indians): Zhan Jian bt Soumyajit Ghosh 11-2, 12-10, 11-2, 11-9; Baggaley bt Sanil Shety 11-4, 19-17, 7-11, 10-12, 12-10, 6-11, 11-7; Amalraj bt Samuel Walker (Eng) 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9; Chen Feng bt Harmeet Desai 11-8, 11-13, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8; Sharath bt Ryan Jenkins (Wal) 11-2, 13-11, 11-6, 11-3; Zubin bt Christopher Doran (Eng) 5-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-4, 5-11, 11-5. Second round: Zubin bt Ma Liang (Sin) 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-6.
Women: Yu Mengyu (Sin) bt Madhurika Patkar 12-10, 11-5, 11-6, Mouma Das bt Joanna Parkar (Eng) 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 13-11; Manika Batra bt Pooja Saharabudhe 12-10, 11-5, 11-13, 11-5, 11-4; Zhang Mo (Sin) bt Yihan Zhou (Sin) 12-10, 11-3, 6-11, 7-11, 11-7, 14-12.
Pre-quarterfinals (involving Indians): Mengyu bt K. Shamini 21-12, 11-7, 11-2, 11-5; Madhurika bt Beh Lee Wei (Mas) 7-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-7, 6-11, 8-11, 11-7; Mouma bt Li Isabelle Slyun (Sin) 11-5, 11-9, 11-4, 11-9; Parker bt Neha Aggarwal 11-3, 11-6, 8-11, 11-1, 11-6.
Doubles (involving Indians): Men (quarterfinals): Sharath Kamal & Subhajit Saha bt Olo Onaolapo & Olajide Omatayo (Nig) 11-2, 11-8, 14-12.
Women (quarterfinals): Shamini & Mouma bt Beh Lee Wei & Ng Sock Khim (Mas) 11-3, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7; Madurika & Neha Aggarwal bt Pooja Saharabudhe & Divya Deshpande 12-10, 11-4, 11-3.
Mixed doubles (final): Jian Zhan & Zhou Yihan (Sin) bt Soumyajit & Mouma 11-3, 15-13, 11-7.
