The Indian para-table tennis campaign came to an end in the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris as Bhavinaben Patel faced a 1-3 defeat in the Women’s WS4 Quarterfinals against Zhou Ying of China.
Zhou Ying, a three-time Paralympic champion and the one who defeated Bhavina in the finals of Tokyo 2020 proved to be a formidable opponent to Bhavina yet again. The Tokyo 2020 gold medalist ended the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist’s run in a dramatic quarterfinal match.
Bhavina started strong, leading Game one with an 8-2 advantage. However, Zhou’s exceptional paddle work allowed her to stage a comeback.
Despite Bhavina having two game points, Zhou quickly leveled the score at 10-10 and the game remained tight with Zhou ultimately prevailing 14-12.
In Game two, Zhou took an early lead. Although Bhavina managed to close the gap to 10-8, Zhou secured the game with a final score of 11-9.
Bhavina rallied in Game three, with both players evenly matched throughout. The Indian paddler managed to take the crucial game 11-8 keeping her hopes alive.
However, Zhou adapted swiftly in Game four, building a commanding lead of 8-1. Despite Bhavina’s efforts and taking strategic timeouts to narrow the gap, Zhou finished strong winning the game 11-6 and securing the match.
With this loss, the Indian para-table tennis campaign at the Paris Paralympics has concluded.
Earlier, Bhavinaben’s sister and compatriot Sonalben Patel was defeated in the WS3 Round of 16, and both players also lost in the women’s doubles quarterfinals last week.
Detailed Scores:
Final Scoreline: Bhavina Patel (Ind) 1 – 3 Zhou Ying (Chn)
Game 1: Bhavina Patel (Ind) 12 – 14 Zhou Ying (Chn)
Game 2: Bhavina Patel (Ind) 9 – 11 Zhou Ying (Chn)
Game 3: Bhavina Patel (Ind) 11 – 8 Zhou Ying (Chn)
Game 4: Bhavina Patel (Ind) 6 – 11 Zhou Ying (Chn)