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Tokyo Paralympics: Paddlers Sonalben, Bhavinaben lose opening matches

Last updated on: August 25, 2021 11:09 IST

India's Sonalben Patel in action during her opening match at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo on Wednesday 

IMAGE: India's Sonalben Patel in action during her opening match at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo on Wednesday. Photograph: Kind courtesy, Deepa Malik/Twitter

Indian paddler Sonalben Manubhai Patel suffered a close 3-2 defeat against China's Qian Li in her opening Group D match in the women's singles - class 3 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo on Wednesday.

 

World No 4 Qian Li defeated Sonalben in five sets by 3-2 (9-11, 11-3, 15-17, 11-7, 11-4) in 36 minutes. Sonalben Manubhai Patel will next face South Korea's Mi Gyu Lee on Thursday in her second Group D match.

The Indian started the match on the front foot as she took the first game 11-9. Li then came back strongly as she dominated and won the second set by 11-3 in just five minutes. The third set was a marathon as Patel held her nerves against the Rio 2016 silver medallist to edge ahead 17-15.

The Chinese again shifted the momentum as she forced the decider by winning the fourth game by 11-7. Qian gave no respite to Sonalben in the fifth set too, as she clinched the game by 11-4.

In a later match, her compatriot, Bhavinaben Hasmukhbhai Patel lost 3-0 to world number one Chinese paddler Zhou Ying in the women's singles class 4 Group A match.

Bhavinaben went down tamely 3-11, 9-11, 2-11.

Players in the Class 3 category have no trunk control, yet their arms are minimally affected by the impairment, while in class 4 competitors have fair sitting balance and fully functional arms and hands.

Their impairment may be due to a lower spinal-cord lesion or cerebral palsy.

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