Tokyo: Indian athlete Bhavina Patel made history by becoming the first Indian para table tennis player to reach the Paralympic final. She won a thrilling semifinal match against Zhang Miao 3-2 to advance to the Tokyo Paralympic Games finals.
The 34-year-old Indian defeated China’s Zhang Miao in the semi-finals of the women’s singles Class 4 tournament Saturday. Bhavina won the match by 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8.
“This is a big achievement as I have defeated a Chinese player, everyone says beating a Chinese player is impossible but I have proved nothing is impossible. Everything is possible if you want to do,” said Bhavina. “I want to thank everyone, PCI, SAI, blind people association and TOPS as because of their support I’ve reached here,” she added.
World number three Zhang started off to a good start, taking a two-point lead. To tie the game at 3-3, Bhavina covered the ground. However, Zhang went on a six-point run to win the game 11-5.
The second game began with a close fight between the world no. three Miao and the world no. eight Bhavina. After 10 points, they were tied at 5-5. Following then, Bhavina took the lead and had four game points to tie the game at 1-1 in game two of the semifinals. She won the game by a score of 11-6.
With a 5-0 win over Zhang, Indian paddler Bhavina got off to a flying start. Following six game points, Bhavina grabbed the third game from Zhang, 11-4.
Bhavina got off to a solid start in the fourth set as well, leading 3-2. After the timeout, Zhang returned to tie the game at 5-5. Bhavina led 8-7, but Zhang produced a remarkable comeback to tie the game at 9-9. The fourth set was won by Zhang 11-9.
In the fifth and final game, Bahvina grabbed a commanding 5-0 lead. With an 8-3 score, Bhavina was able to keep the lead. Zhang closed the gap to 7-9 after trailing by four points. Bhavina sought a timeout and subsequently won the decisive 11-8 with two match points, causing a massive upset.
The color of the medal is still to be determined, but she is the second Indian woman to place on the podium at the Paralympic Games, following Deepa Malik. Bhavina will now compete in the final against world number one Ying Zhou tomorrow.
