World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals 2024: Indian women's team beat Hungary 3-2 in second group stage match

India’s women’s team beat Hungary 3-2 at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships 2024 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre (BESCO) in South Korea on Sunday, February 18.

After almost a dream start to their campaign, the Indian paddlers built on their unexpected but outstanding performance against China to win their next tie. Ayhika Mukherjee and Sreeja Akula, who made history by beating the World No. 1 and 2 paddlers on February 16, continued their form into the match against Hungary.

Manika Batra, whose performance in the previous match had been overshadowed, also showcased her abilities and played incredibly well to win both her matches and help India beat Hungary.

A closer look at the Indian women’s team’s tie against Hungary at the World Team Table Tennis Championship 2024:

The tie began with one of India’s most experienced paddlers, Manika Batra, taking on Hungary’s Dora Madarasz. The match began with Madarasz playing some impressive shots in the first set and taking it comfortably, with a score of 11-8. However, the second set saw Manika Batra make a comeback and win it 11-5.

Batra also went on to narrowly win the third game 12-10 to take a 2-1 lead in the match. However, the Hungarian paddler fought back to level the deficit and take the match to the decider, winning the fourth game 11-8.

The final game saw Batra take an early lead before her opponent managed to level things at 4-4. But the Indian paddler found some momentum, and a series of unforced errors from the Hungarian saw Batra take 7 consecutive points to wrap up the set 11-4, winning the match and giving India a lead.

The second game of the tie witnessed Sreeja Akula, the 25-year-old Indian who beat the World No. 2 from China earlier in the tournament, face off against Georgina Pota.

Akula started the match by making some errors; in addition to this, Pota played incredibly well, and the Hungarian paddler went on to win the first and, subsequently, the second set comfortably with scores of 11-3, 11-7.

However, Akula found her rhythm and fought back, winning the next two games 11-9, 11-9 to level things. The decider saw Akula and Pota go neck to neck, but a couple of unforced errors from the Indian saw Pota take the match. The final scoreline was 3-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11 in favor of the Hungarian.

With the tie leveled at 1-1, India’s Ayhika Mukherjee, who had been in incredible form over the last few months, took on Bernadett Balint of Hungary. Mukherjee, who created headlines on February 16 by beating the World No. 1 from China, continued her spectacular form in her match against Balint.

The 26-year-old Indian, after going down in the first set, quickly turned things around and won the next three sets in quick succession to win the match 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 and give India the lead.

The fourth match saw Sreeja Akula take the court once again. The young paddler faced Manika’s opponent, Dora Madarasz. The match started off with Madarasz building on her momentum in her first match against Batra. The Hungarian played some spectacular attacking shots and countered every smash Akula hit, leaving the Indian flustered. Madarasz won the first two sets with ease. The third game saw Akula make a comeback and take the set 11-5, but Madarasz shrugged off the setback and sealed the fourth set 11-7 to take the tie to the decider.

In the fifth and final match, Manika Batra took on Georgina Pota. Right from the outset, the Indian started off with her fiery forehand attacking shots, to which the Hungarian had no answers. Batra was quick to wrap up the first game, and she continued her momentum and style of play into the next set, but Pota adjusted quickly and kept Batra on her toes.

The second set saw some fierce exchanges between the two players, and neither seemed to make a mistake, taking the set to deuce. Despite being on the backfoot initially, Batra kept her composure and won the set 14-12. The third game saw Batra, an Asian Games medalist, take an early 6-2 lead. Despite a spirited comeback from Pota to level things at 7-7 and then lead 9-7, Batra held her nerves and went on to win the set 13-11, winning the match and tie for India.

India now stand third in their group and will take on Uzbekistan in their next match on Monday, February 19.

Results

India 3-2 Hungary

Manika Batra, 3-2 Dora Madarasz (8-11, 11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-4)

Sreeja Akula 2-3 Georgina Pota (3-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11)

Ayhika Mukherjee 3-1 Bernadett Balint (7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8)

Sreeja Akula 1-3 Dora Madarasz (4-11, 6-11, 11-5, 7-11)

Manika Batra 3-0 Georgina Pota (11-5, 14-12, 13-11)