Bhavinaben becomes first Indian TT player to secure medal at Paralympics

Tokyo: Bhavinaben Patel on Friday scripted history by becoming the first Indian table tennis player to secure a medal in the Tokyo Paralympics, setting the tone for an upbeat contingent aiming for its best-ever finish at the Games.

Feeding off the momentum generated by India's best showing at the preceding Olympics, Patel, competing in her maiden Paralympics, ensured a podium for herself by entering the semi-finals with a stunning straight-game win over world number two and defending champion Borislava Peric Rankovic of Serbia in the women's singles Class 4 event.

The 34-year-old, who was diagnosed with polio when she was 12, beat her Serbian opponent 11-5 11-6 11-7 in a quarter-final match that lasted 18 minutes.

"I could win my match today due to the support of the people of India. Please keep supporting me so that I can win my semifinal match," Patel said after the quarter-final.

She takes on Zhang Miao of China in the semi-finals. There is no bronze-medal play-off in Tokyo Paralympics table tennis, and both losing semi-finalists are guaranteed of a bronze.

"It is sure that we can see a medal from her. Tomorrow morning's match (semifinal) is a huge decider what colour of the medal she will win," Paralympic Committee of India president Deepa Malik said in a video footage on her Twitter handle.

In 2017, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board had approved the International Table Tennis Federation's request to remove the third-place play-off in all the medal events and award bronze to both the losing semi-finalists.

Earlier in the day, she had beaten Joyce de Oliveira of Brazil 12-10 13-11, 11-6 in Round of 16 to become the first Indian table tennis player to reach the quarter-finals in the Paralympics.

Athletes in Class 4 category have fair sitting balance and fully functional arms and hands. Their impairment may be due to a lower spinal-cord lesion or cerebral palsy. She had entered the knockout round after winning one match and losing the other group game.

Compatriot Sonalben Manubhai Patel had lost both her group matches on Thursday to bow out of the competition.