India’s women’s table tennis team rose to the occasion in a high-stakes group match, edging Ukraine 3-2 in a pulsating contest to keep its ITTF World Team Championships Finals qualification hopes on track on Wednesday.
The win also placed India in a strong position to top Group 6.
The tie began tensely, with World No. 49 Manika Batra put under pressure by the experienced Tetyana Bilenko. After dropping the second game, Manika showed her composure to win 11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5 and give India an early lead.
Ukraine hit back through World No. 51 Margaryta Pesotska, who beat Yashaswini Ghorpade in a five-game contest. Ghorpade fought back after losing the first two games, including a dominant 11-1 win in the third, but Pesotska held her nerve in the decider to level the tie at 1-1.
India regained control through Diya Chitale, who produced an assured performance against Veronika Matiunina. The young paddler won 11-6, 11-8, 11-6, combining sharp placement with relentless tempo to put India 2-1 ahead.
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With the tie hanging in the balance, Pesotska beat Manika 11-9, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6 to force a decisive fifth match.
Ghorpade then showed remarkable resilience under pressure, beating Tetyana 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7 to seal the tie for India.
The win places India in a commanding position in the group. It will take on Rwanda in its last group fixture on Thursday, a match that could confirm its passage into the main draw as group topper.
In the men’s section, India will take on Slovakia later in the day before wrapping up its Group 7 campaign against Guatemala on Thursday.
Published on Apr 29, 2026