Busan (South Korea): The Indian men's team emerged triumphant against formidable Chile by 3-0 to open their account in the ongoing World Table Tennis Team Championships here on Saturday. Ace Indian paddler Sharath Kamal Achanta, ranked 95, dominated the first game dominantly, securing an 11-5 11-8 11-6 victory over world number 53 Nicholas Burgos.
India's top-ranked paddler and reigning national champion Harmeet Desai showcased his prowess and continued the momentum, thrashing the low-ranked Gustavo Gomez for a facile 11-8 11-7 11-6 win. G Sathiyan, ranked 104, was stretched in the first game by Olivares Felipe, but the Indian paddler made a remarkable comeback and battled it out to seal the tie with a 12-10 11-8 11-8 victory.
The win has taken India (2 points) to third position in Group 3 behind South Korea (4 points) and Chile (3 points), which played two ties each.
The Indian men's team will take on Poland on Sunday, followed by South Korea on Monday and New Zealand on Tuesday. The Indian women's team will also square off against Hungry on Sunday.
On Friday, Ayhika Mukherjee and Sreeja Akula stunned the world's number one and two, Chinese Sun Yingsha and Wang Yidi, in their respective singles matches. However, the Indian women's team failed to clinch crunch moments and faced a heartbreaking defeat against China in its opening tie.
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