Sathiyan-Archana win mixed gold, Sharath loses men's singles semifinal
India added another golden chapter to the 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships when its mixed doubles pair of G. Sathiyan and Archana Kamath defeated Singapore's Peng Yu En KoenGoi Rui Xuan 3-0 in the final here Sunday.
The gold count, on the penultimate day of the championships, stood at three.
This had, in a way, avenged the earlier loss of A. Sharath Kamal and Sreeja Akula in the semifinal by the same Singaporean pair as well as the defeat of Sharath in men's singles quarterfinals by Peng.
The Indian pair was on top in the final as they piled on the agony of their rivals, particularly on a tired Peng who could not cope with the pressure applied by the top-seeded duo.
But the second-seeded Sharath Kamal squandered three match points and then the quarterfinal match, shattering his men singles medal hope. Though Sharath failed to go past the semifinals in mixed doubles, he would definitely rue the singles loss to the younger legs of Peng in the quarters.
The other Indians that