Sathiyan slips but snatches bronze

Muscat, March 24: G. Sathiyan had a very narrow chance of turning it around but could not overcome a tough Mattias Flack of Sweden in the men singles semifinals of the ITTF Challenge Plus Oman Open table tennis on Sunday.

The fourth-seeded Indian lost 8-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 911, 11-9, 10-12 and settled for the bronze medal.

The top-seeded Swede and the Indian had the measure of each other with the two winning alternate games to take the issue to the decider. But in the decider, the Swede had the slight advantage until deuce. But once he broke Sathiyan to go up, it was all over for the Indian as his opponent wrapped it up with the winner.

The only Indian to survive so Sathiyan had ended Frenchman Emmanuel Lebesson in the quarterfinals 4-1 (11-9, 11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10) after having dominated the first three games. But the seventh seeded Frenchman showed intentions of coming back but the Indian arrested any such possibility winning the fifth game.

Earlier, in the round of 16, Sathiyan beat Anthony Amalraj 4-1. Another Indian to go down in the round of 16 was A. Sharath Kamal, who lost 1-4 to Croat Pucar Tamislov.

In men doubles, Sathiyan and Sharath lost their quarterfinals to the Russian pair of Denis Ivonin and Vladimir Sidorenko 2-3 and so did Archana and Sathiyan in mixed doubles first round.

— PTI far,