(Table tennis news) Tokyo Paralympics 2021 Live Update: Indian table tennis player Bhavina Patel defeated China’s Zhang Miao 3-2 of the women’s class 4 semifinals to book her berth into the finals at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Her persistence and self belief meant that the 34 year old finally overcame her opponent after previously losing to Zhang Miao 11 times.
Both the paddlers started off strongly, but the World Number 3 Zhang Miao gained the upper hand when the scores were level 3-3 and won the game 11-7. Bhavina then made a stunning comeback in game 2, winning by 11-7 to get back into the game.
She captured five consecutive points in the third game to get a 5-0 lead and eventually win the game 11-4. Game 4 was intense to say the least, with Bhavina Patel going toe to toe with her Chinese counterpart which involved long rallies, one that lasted for 19 shots and gave the Indian paddler a slender 7-6 lead. However, Zhang Miao refused to give up and forced the game into a decider.
In the final game, Bhavina was at her blitzkrieg best and had a 5-0 lead but Miao soon reduced the deficit by gaining three points for the score to read 3-6. Zhang Miao showed just why she is regarded as the World Number 3 by getting three consecutive points and gaining a 1 point lead over Bhavina Patel. However, the Indian did not give up and won two points in a row after a momentary time out to reach the finals.
