Asian Games 2026: India’s Men’s Table Tennis Campaign Ends with 0-3 Loss to South Korea

India’s campaign in the men’s team table tennis event at the Asian Games 2026 came to an end in the Round of 16 on Tuesday after South Korea produced a clinical 3-0 victory.

The Indian team entered the knockout stage after finishing second in Group F, behind Iran, having secured wins over Indonesia and Pakistan. However, the challenge intensified significantly against South Korea, with the Koreans winning each of the first three matches to seal the tie before India could mount a response.

South Korea’s victory booked its place in the quarterfinals, where it will face Hong Kong, China.

India began the tie positively through Harmeet Desai, who faced South Korea’s Jang Woojin, the World No. 11. Harmeet took the opening game 11-8, giving India an early advantage and putting pressure on the Korean side.

Jang, however, responded strongly. The Korean paddler adjusted his game and gradually took control of the contest, winning the next three games 11-7, 11-8 and 11-9. The four-game victory gave South Korea the first point of the tie and shifted the momentum firmly in its favour.

For India, the narrow margins in the final two games highlighted how close the contest was at certain stages, but Jang was able to convert the important points and put Korea ahead.

The second match provided India with another opportunity to level the tie, but Manush Shah faced a difficult challenge against World No. 23 Oh Junsung. Manush was forced to fight back after losing the opening game 11-4. He responded by taking the second game 11-8 and then moved ahead by winning the third 13-11.

Oh, however, refused to let the match slip away. The Korean recovered to win the fourth game 13-11, forcing a deciding fifth game. After 54 minutes of intense competition, Oh completed the comeback by taking the final game 11-6.

The five-game victory put South Korea one match away from completing the tie. Manush had pushed a higher-ranked opponent deep into the contest, but the Korean player held his composure during the crucial stages of the deciding game.

Manav Thakkar Unable to Stop the Sweep

With South Korea leading 2-0, Manav Thakkar needed to win his contest against World No. 36 An Jaehyun to keep India’s campaign alive. The opening game was closely contested, with An eventually edging it 12-10. The Korean then established a stronger advantage by taking the second game 11-6.

Manav responded in the third, winning 11-7 to reduce the deficit and briefly give India hope of another comeback. An, however, closed out the contest in the fourth game, winning 12-10 to secure a 3-1 victory and complete South Korea’s 3-0 sweep.

With the first three matches all going Korea’s way, the remaining contests were not required.

India’s exit represents another difficult encounter with South Korea at the Asian Games. At the previous edition of the Games, India’s men’s team had reached the quarterfinals before losing 0-3 to South Korea. South Korea subsequently advanced through the knockout rounds and eventually reached the final, where China defeated it to claim the gold medal.

This time, India’s campaign ended one round earlier, with the team unable to progress beyond the Round of 16.

India had entered the knockout phase after negotiating Group F successfully. The team defeated Indonesia and Pakistan during the group stage and finished second behind Iran, earning its place in the first knockout round.

That progression provided India with an opportunity to challenge one of Asia’s leading table tennis nations, but South Korea proved too strong across the opening three matches. Harmeet’s early advantage against Jang and Manush’s five-game battle with Oh showed that India had opportunities during the tie, but the Koreans were more effective when it came to closing out crucial games.

The result leaves India’s men’s team without a medal from the event, while South Korea moves into the quarterfinals against Hong Kong, China.

For Indian table tennis, attention now turns to the remaining individual and other event opportunities at the Asian Games, while the women’s team has already advanced to the quarterfinals after a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Thailand.