The Indian men’s table tennis team began its campaign on a winning note, registering a facile 3-0 victory over Yemen in the Asian Games here on Friday.
Veteran Sharath Kamal, G. Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai made short work of their Yemenese opponents to notch similar straight game victories.
Sathiyan set the ball rolling as he defeated Ali Omar Ahmed 11-3 11-2 11-6 in 14 minutes.
The 41-year-old Sharath, playing his last Asian Games, then beat Ebrahim Abdulhakim Mohamm Gubran 11-3 11-4 11-6 to double India’s lead.
The country’s top-ranked player Harmeet sealed the tie with an 11-1, 11-1, 11-7 win over Magd Ahmed Ali Aldhubhani.
The Indian men’s team will take on Singapore in its second Pool F match later in the day. The Indian women’s team will also open its campaign with a Pool F fixture against Singapore.