Doha, March 19
Indian paddler G Sathiyan qualified for his maiden Olympic Games with a comfortable win over Pakistan’s Muhammad Rameez in the Asian Olympic Games Qualification Tournament here.
Sathiyan, ranked 38th, had defeated world No. 32 Sharath Kamal in his opening match yesterday. On the basis of his world ranking and his win over Rameez, Sharath too has made the cut.
World No. 62 Manika Batra is also set to qualify despite her loss to compatriot Sutirtha Mukherjee in the women’s singles event. Sutirtha sealed her Tokyo berth with the win, while Manika is likely to join her on the basis of her ranking.
Sathiyan defeated Rameez 11-5, 11-8, 11-9, 11-2. In the South Asia women’s final, Sutirtha beat Manika 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 4-11, 11-5, 11-4.
The ITTF will only confirm about the qualification of Manika and Sharath in April, when all qualification events will get over. — PTI
