Table Tennis: Bhavina Patel Makes Winning Start In Asian Para Games

Tokyo Paralympics silver medallist Bhavina Patel made a winning start to her Asian Para Games campaign, defeating Kuwait's Ahad Alrasheedi in her opening match in the women's para table tennis competition in Nagoya on Friday. Bhavina beat her Kuwaiti opponent 3-0 (11-6 11-3 11-6) in the women's singles Class 4-5 Group A match. Class 4 and Class 5 in para table tennis represent the higher-functioning tiers among wheelchair athletes (Classes 1–5), where players have varying degrees of sitting balance and core or arm control.

Baby Sahana Ravi also defeated Vietnam's Thi Hoa Phuong Nguyen 3-0 (11-6 11-5 11-4) in her women's singles Class 9 Group B match.

Class 9 in para table tennis is a standing sports class for athletes with mild physical impairments affecting their legs or playing arm, or severe impairments of their non-playing arm.

Shubham Wadhwa also won his opening men's singles Class 3 group match, defeating Nepal's Keshav Thapa 3-0 (11-6 11-4, 11-9). Class 3 in para table tennis is a wheelchair sport class for athletes who have no sitting balance, minimal trunk control and normal or near-normal arm and hand function.

Another Indian para athlete, Jehan Madan, made a bright start, beating compatriot Sandeep Dangi 3-1 (11-8 12-10 10-12 11-6) in men's singles Class 1 group match.

Class 1 in is the most severe sitting wheelchair class, designated for players who have no sitting balance and a severe reduction of function in their playing arm, typically due to a spinal-cord lesion or polio.

Indian men's blind football team loses 0-2 to South Korea

The Indian men's blind football team opened its campaign with a 0-2 loss to South Korea at the Asian Para Games on Friday. South Korea's Jang Yeongjun scored a brace as India conceded a goal in each half in the preliminary round match. India will take on hosts Japan on Saturday.

Besides India, Japan and South Korea, China, Iran and Thailand are competing for the three medals in the event.

The top teams in the preliminary round will fight for the gold medal while the third and fourth place sides will play in the bronze medal match.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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