Next, she will face World No. 1 paddler Ying Zhou of China on Sunday.
Indian paddler Bhavinaben Patel stormed into the final of a table tennis event in the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics 2020 on Saturday. The 34-year-old Patel scripted history by becoming the first Indian to do so. She defeated Miao Zhang of China 3-2 in a class 4 semifinal.
Ms Patel, who hails from Gujarat, stunned the Indian camp and her World No. 3 Chinese opponent 7-11 11-7 11-4 9-11 11-8 in a 34-minute match. Next, she will face World No. 1 paddler Ying Zhou of China on Sunday.
Bhavinaben plays in a wheelchair as she had been diagnosed with polio when she was 12 years old. Though Ms Patel lost the opening round, she came strong and claimed the next two rounds to take a 2-1 lead. In the fourth game, Miao took charge and won it with a score of 9-11. However, in the deciding fifth set, Ms Patel emerged victorious to seal the game.
Interestingly, this was Ms Patel's first victory against Ms Zhou as earlier they had competed 11 times.
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