India women edge past Australia to enter semis

India overcame a spirited Australian challenge to begin the second stage of the women’s team event at the 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships with a hard-fought victory at the Thyagaraja Sports Complex on Tuesday (July 28, 2026).

The evening session marked the start of the second stage — effectively the Super Eight — and Australia ensured the top seed was made to work for every point. Yangzi Liu, the highest-ranked Australian singles player, was the standout performer, racing past both Yashaswini Ghorpade and Sreeja Akula without dropping a game.

Yashaswini, however, bounced back admirably. Showing remarkable composure after her opening defeat, the youngster outlasted the experienced Min Hyung Jee in the deciding rubber to confirm India’s entry in the semifinals. The women had eased past Sri Lanka 3-0 earlier in the afternoon.

The defining performance of the tie, though, came from Olympian Sutirtha Mukherjee. Locked in a tense battle against Constantina Psihogios in the third singles, Sutirtha relied on her experience and timely winners to edge a gripping five-game contest. She clinched the decider 13-11, ensuring the tie stayed alive despite Sreeja’s subsequent defeat to Liu.

India’s men, meanwhile, enjoyed a more comfortable outing against Australia. World No. 38 Manav Thakkar shrugged off a cut on his forehead — sustained after colliding with the umpire’s desk during the second game — to complete his singles victory as India sealed the tie without undue trouble.

Sathiyan skips singles

G. Sathiyan has withdrawn from the men’s singles competition. The silver medallist at the previous Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships in Cuttack in 2019 is understood to have cited his hectic schedule as the reason for opting out.

Sathiyan confirmed to The Hindu that he will, however, compete in the men’s doubles alongside Harmeet Desai and in the mixed doubles with Sreeja. “Both these events will serve as preparation for the Asian Games,” Sathiyan said.

Important results

Second stage:

Women: India bt Australia 3-2 (Yashaswini Ghorpade lost to Yangzi Liu 13-15, 9-11, 5-11, Sreeja Akula bt Min Hyung Jee 12-10, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9, Sutirtha Mukherjee bt Constantina Psihogios 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 13-11, Yangzi bt Sreeja 11-8, 11-5, 11-5, Yashaswini bt Min 11-5, 11-9, 11-8), India bt Sri Lanka 3-0, Canada bt Sri Lanka 3-0, Australia bt Canada 3-0.

Men: Malaysia bt Maldives 3-1, Sri Lanka bt Namibia 3-0y.