Net losses hit home in Hangzhou

Ping pong flop

The women's table tennis team served up an even bigger disappointment, with the team's two doubles pairs failing to earn China a semifinal berth for the first time in Asiad history.

Japan's Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara landed the first blow by stunning world No 3 pair Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu, 3-1, in the first quarterfinal. About an hour later the Hangzhou tournament witnessed arguably the biggest upset in table tennis doubles history.

To the shock of a full house at Gongshu Canal Sports Park Gymnasium, unheralded Indian duo Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee subdued China's world No 2 pair Chen Meng and Wang Yidi 3-1 to secure the country's first-ever women's medal in table tennis at the Asiad.

The shock results sparked heavy criticism from fans and pundits alike in a country where table tennis is considered the unofficial national sport.

"They should've prepared better and should've studied their opponents more no matter where they come from," table tennis legend Deng Yaping said of the Chen-Wang loss to the Indian pair.

"We're analyzed and studied all the time by the rest of the world. If anyone plays us, they play as an underdog with a relatively stress-free mindset, while we need to stay sharp facing all the challengers," said Deng, a four-time Olympic gold medalist who retired in 1997.

With the rest of the world catching up fast, China's star paddlers need to approach their preparations for Paris 2024 with the utmost focus and without being distracted by their massive fan base and high-profile at home, Deng added.