Mixed fortunes for Indians in Asian Cup TT

Our Correspondent

Fancied Indian players had mixed fortunes on the opening day of the 15th Asian Cup Table Tennis championships on Friday.

India No. 1 and men's third seed Chetan Baboor, playing his first major tournament since returning from the Olympics, had little difficulty in overcoming South Korea's Kim Joo Sang 21-17, 21-9 in his opening round-robin Group 'C' league match. However, his teammate Soumyadeep Roy, seeded eighth and ranked 394 in the world, went down tamely to Korean Yoon Jae Young. 8-21, 1921 in a Group A league match.

In the women's section, seventh seed Mauma, ranked 214 in the world, was forced to draw on all her reserves to get the better of a fighting Pan Li-Chun of Taipei before winning her Group C league match 21-16, 14-21, 21-17.

The other Indian woman in the fray Paulomi Ghatak of Bengal was not so lucky. She was whipped by Abe Ayumi. The eighth seeded Indian was beaten 11-21, 19-21 by the unseeded Japanese.

The Indian seeded players Roy and Ghatak were not the only seeds to suffer setbacks on the opening day. Men's fourth seeded Yanagida Toshinori of Japan, ranked 248th in the world, also lost, beaten 21-14, 21-17 by unfancied Chinese Hao Shuai, while women's singles top seed Kim Kyung Ha of South Korea, ranked 42nd in the world, was shocked by Luyun-Genng of Taipei 21-17, 21-11.

Results (first round):

Men's singles: Group A: Cai Xiaoli (Singapore) bt Budiono (Indonesia) 18-21, 23-21, 21-10; Yoon Jae Young (Korea) bt Soumyadeep Roy (India) 21-8, 21-19.

Group B: S Ryusuke (Japan) beat Bhakaphoom Sanguansin (Thailand) 17-21, 21-14, 21-18; Chen Tian Yuan (China) beat Yang Meng Hsing (Taipei) 21-18, 13-21, 21-11.

Group C: Chetan Baboor (India) beat Kim Joo Sang (Korea) 21-17, 21-9; Hao Shuai (China) beat Y Toshinori (Japan) 21-14, 21-17.

Group D: Mehran Ahadi (Iran) w/o Abdul Aziz Al Abbad (Saudi Arabia); Yeng Shun Hsing (Taipei) beat Beknazarov Ermek (Kazakstan) 21-12, 21-17.

Women's singles: Group A: Luyun-Genng (Taipei) bt Kim Kyung Ha (Korea) 21-17, 21-11; Abe Ayumi (Japan) bt Poulomi Ghatak (India) 21-11, 21-19.

Group B: Anisara Muangsuk (Thailand) bt Rossi Dipoyenti (Indonesia) 21-13, 21-12; Guo Yue (China) bt Yoon Ji Hye (Korea) 21-12, 21-17.

Group C: Zhang Xue Ling (Singapore) beat Tang Yuan (China) 21-15, 10-21, 21-16; Mauma Das (India) bt Pan Li-Chun (Taipei) 21-16, 14-21, 21-17.

Group D: Tanpaey Fem (Singapore) bt Nataliya Oblopova (Kazakstan) 21-10, 21-11; Jiang Huajun (China) bt Sugita Sanae (Japan) 21-10, 22-20.