The Indian trio of G. Sathiyan, Soumyajit Ghosh and Harmeet Desai joined hands to script a historic 3-1 victory over Democratic People's Republic of Korea for a maiden entry into the boys' team semifinals of the Asian junior table tennis championship in Bangkok on Thursday.
A place in the semifinals not only assured a bronze medal for India but also ensured a direct entry into the World junior championship in Slovakia in December.
After Sathiyan lost the opening singles to Kim Jo Hyok 7-11, 9-11, 8-11, Ghosh defeated Choil Il 12-10, 11-8, 6-11, 12-10 and put India on par. Desai's 11-7, 4-11, 11-8, 11-7 triumph over Kim Hyok Ju gave India the lead.
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Thereafter, Sathiyan tamed Choil Il 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 to complete a singnificant victory for India. India now faces favourite China for a place in the final.