Indian paddler Sathiyan Gnanasekaran loses in quarters of WTT Contender series

MUMBAI, June 18: The sensational run of Indian paddler Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender series event at Zagreb, Croatia, ended in the men's singles quarterfinals as he lost to Chih-Yuan Chuang of Chinese Taipei on Saturday.

Sathiyan, who had defeated world No. 6 and reigning European champion Jorgic Darko of Slovakia to reach the Last 16 earlier in the event, went down to the Chinese Taipei player in straight games, losing 7-11, 9-11, 5-11.

Sathiyan had defeated China's Chen Yuanyu 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 12-10) in the previous round. But he found the going tough against Chih-Yuan Chuang of Chinese Taipei and the latter controlled the rallies and served well.

Chih-Yuan won seven points on his serve in the first game as he won easily. But the second game was a bit closer and the Indian fell short by just two points. The Chinese Taipei player did not allow the Indian opponent much chances as he emerged winner in 25 minutes.

Sathiyan's defeat ends India's campaign in the WTT Contender Zagreb event as the other Indian players in the fray had lost in the earlier rounds. IANS

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