Paralympics 2021: Star paddler Bhavina Patel moves on to the knockout stage as Sonalben Patel bows out after a tight loss

That's all from our side for now. Good fight from Sonalben Patel and Bhavina Patel today, and with the latter moving on, make sure you joine us for her knockout stage matches!

Keep following Sportskeeda for schedule updates and other coverage of the 2021 Paralympics! Goodbye for now, stay safe and keep cheering for the Indian athletes!

Sonalben Patel lost her second match at the #Paralympics against 6th Ranked Lee Mi-Gyu of #KOR in the C3 Group D Match of #ParaTableTennis

Even after putting up a brilliant fight in both the games, unfortunately, her journey at the #Tokyo2020 comes to an end#Praise4Para pic.twitter.com/eT5x3S3Zu3
— Sportskeeda India (@Sportskeeda) August 26, 2021

A fighter through & through! @sonup123 thank you for a great effort, you are now a #proudparalympian! All the best for all future tournaments! #Praise4Para #Tokyo2020 #TableTennis https://t.co/3RpNKu8mXX
— Paralympic India 🇮🇳 #Cheer4India 🏅 #Praise4Para (@ParalympicIndia) August 26, 2021

#ParaTableTennis Update#IND Sonal Patel goes down to #KOR Mi Gyu Lee 1-3 (12-10, 5-11, 3-11, 9-11) in the second group match

We wish her the best for future competitions#Tokyo2020 #Paralympics #Praise4Para
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) August 26, 2021

Social media is flooding with message of support for Sonalben Patel!

Match report:
A valiant effort from Sonal but what a fight in the end! The Indian started off brilliantly but could not sustain the momentum.

A late surge gave hundreds of fans the hope of an incredible comeback, but Lee kept her nerves and secured the all-important fourth game.

Unfortunately, this will be the end of Sonalben Patel's journey, but the 33 year old can definitely be proud of her performance in her Paralympics debut!

#Tokyo2020 #Paralympics

A valiant effort from Sonal but what a fight that was. We were all at the edge of our seats

Also, the Korean kept her nerves and secured the third game. Unfortunately, Sonal's journey comes to an end 😢#IND 1-2 #KOR #Praise4Para #ParaTableTennis
— Sportskeeda India (@Sportskeeda) August 26, 2021

Final scoresheet:

Lee def. Sonalben Patel 3-1!

9-11 - HEARTBREAK for Sonalben Patel as she falls agonizingly short!

9-10 - AND THERE'S JUST ONE POINT IN IT!

8-10 - And we go on!! Are we going to witness something extraordinary here??!

7-10 - A final push from Sonalben as she SAVESa 3rd matchpoint!

6-10 - She continues to stay in it!

5-10 - Sonalben Parel saves one but this is most likely a case of too little too late!

4-10 - Match point for Lee!

2-8 - This should be a big enough lead for Lee to secure a win.

2-7 - The timeout comes to no avail as Lee picks up right where she left off!

Sonalben Patel opts for a timeout. It's now or never as we head to the business end!

2-6 - A flurry of points in the favor of Lee as she surges ahead!

2-4 - Is the Indian running out of steam? Difficult moments.

2-1 - Better start from Sonalben this time as she leads early on!

Game 4 underway!

#Tokyo2020 #Paralympics

Dominance!! Sheer dominance from the Korean as she wins the third game 3-11#IND 1-2 #KOR #Praise4Para #ParaTableTennis
— Sportskeeda India (@Sportskeeda) August 26, 2021

Sonalben Patel fighting on, but she will have to come up with some answers soon!

And now we have @sonup123 in action 💪🇮🇳 the first set we won, 2 more to go! 🇮🇳 @ParalympicIndia @Tokyo2020 @Paralympics @DeepaAthlete #Tokyo2020 #TokyoParalympics #cheer4india #Praise4Para pic.twitter.com/X2OXGwf0Wb
— Arhan Bagati (@IamArhanBagati) August 26, 2021

Lee -- takes the game 11-3 -- leads Sonalben Patel 2-1!

3-10 - And just like that, Lee arrives at game points!

Li has settled into the match nicely and is looking dominant at the moment. Patel will need to find a way to get her teeth into the match.

2-8 - This game is getting away from Sonalben Patel.

2-6 - Li going from strength to strength now as she moves into a healthy lead!

2-4 - The Indian has been slightly slow at the start of all three games, will that cost her in the end?!

2-3 - Still with the server.

1-1 - Who will the first to budge in this very tight contest?

Game 3 underway!

Sonalben and Lee level at 1-1!

5-11 - Lee is beginning to show just why she is one of the medal favorites in this event. This is top-notch from the Korean.

5-9 - The first real lead and it goes the way of the Korean!

5-7 - This game is following the same pattern as the first one. The same outcome we hope??!

4-5 - We're dead even here as both women showing absolute grit!

3-4 - Serving hasn't meant much in this match as Sonalben scores again on return!

2-4 - Lee edging ahead once again!

2-2 - It is all very well balanced at the moment!

Game 2 underway!

Can Sonalben Patel keep the momentum going or will Lee come back stronger? Stay tuned as we head into the second game!

#Tokyo2020 #Paralympics

And Sonal takes the game 12-10 😍#IND 1-0 #KOR #Praise4Para #ParaTableTennis
— Sportskeeda India (@Sportskeeda) August 26, 2021