Paddler Bhavinaben Patel storms into final

PTI Updated - August 28, 2021 at 09:20 AM.

Beats China’s Miao Zhang in a class four semifinal

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games - Table Tennis - Women's Singles - Class 7 Group B - Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan - August 26, 2021. Kubra Korkut of Turkey in action against Viktoriia Safonova of the Russian Paralympic Committee. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Bhavinaben Patel continued to script history as she became the first Indian to enter the final of a table tennis event in the Paralympics with a hard-fought 3-2 win over China's Miao Zhang in a class four semifinal here on Saturday.

The 34-year-old Patel beat her world no. 3 Chinese opponent in the semifinal showdown that lasted 34 minutes.

She will take on world number one Chinese paddler Ying Zhou in the summit clash on Sunday.

Competing in her maiden Paralympics, Patel lost the opening game in a tight contest. But, she made a strong recovery, claiming the next two games.

In the fourth game, Zhang showed her class not giving Patel the bragging rights just yet as the match headed into the decider.

In the deciding fifth game, Patel took a time out after which she notched up the win.

In the quarterfinal on Friday, Patel had defeated 2016 Rio Paralympics gold winner and world number two Borislava Peric Rankovic of Serbia to clinch a medal and script history.

Published on August 28, 2021 03:50