India's star paddler Manika Batra will kick off her Paris Olympic Games 2024 campaign against lower ranked Great Britain's teenager Anna Hursey in the women's singles first round. Meanwhile, veteran men's player Sharath Kamal will face Slovenia's Deni Kozul on July 27. (More Sports News)
Batra is competing in her third consecutive Olympics, having reached the third round at Tokyo 2020. While Anna Hursey is making her Olympic debut, Batra's world ranking of 28 puts her in a strong position against the Welsh teenager, ranked 103rd.
Harmeet Desai will face Jordan's Abo Yaman in the opening round of men's singles, while 16th-seeded Sreeja Akula will begin her campaign against Sweden's Christina Kallberg.
Leading the six-member Indian table tennis squad is Commonwealth Games champion Sharath Kamal, who is making his fifth Olympic appearance.
In the women's team event, India is seeded 11th and start with facing fourth-seeded Romania team in the opening round. The team includes Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, and Archana Kamath aims to secure a quarterfinal berth with a victory. Ayhika Mukherjee is the team's reserve.
The Indian men's team, comprising Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar, and Harmeet Desai, face a daunting task as they draw top-ranked China in their opening match.
This Paris Olympic Games 2024 marks India's debut in the Olympic team event, which was introduced in 2008.
The Indian men's team, consisting of Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar and Harmeet Desai will face a daunting task as they draw top-ranked China in their opening match.
A two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Gnanasekaran Sathiyan is with the Indian men's team. He was unfortunately unable to secure a spot in the main squad and will serve as a reserve player. Manika Batra recently achieved a career-best world ranking of 24 following her impressive performance at the Saudi Smash.
Paris Olympics 2024: India's Table Tennis Draw
Men’s Team
Round of 16: India vs China
Women’s Team
Round of 16: India vs Romania
Men’s Singles
Preliminary Round: Harmeet Desai (India) vs Zaid Abo Yaman (Jordan)
Round of 64: Sharath Kamal (India) vs Deni Kozul (Slovenia)
Women’s Singles
Round of 64: Manika Batra (India) vs Anna Hursey (Great Britain)
Round of 64: Sreeja Akula (India) vs Christina Kallberg (Sweden)
