by Ian Marshall
Upon the issue of the April 2021 Olympic Rankings, the respective places are secured by India’s Sharath Kamal Achanta and Manika Batra; they join colleagues Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Sutirtha Mukherjee on the Tokyo list, the players against whom they experienced defeat in Doha.
Asia, via qualification, is eligible to be represented in Tokyo by six players in each of the men’s singles and women’s singles events. The continent is divided into five regions – Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, South East Asia, West Asia; the winners in each region gained Olympic qualification, the one remaining position is allocated to the highest ranked runner up on the April 2021 Olympic Rankings.
Runners Up – Men’s Singles
- Central Asia: Zokhid Kenjaev (Uzbekistan) – Ranked no.115
- East Asia: Munkhzorig Jargalsaikhan (Mongolia) – Ranked no.507
- South Asia: Sharath Kamal Achanta (India) – Ranked no.30
- South East Asia: Pang Yew En Koen (Singapore) – Ranked no. 159
- West Asia: Dauud Cheaib (Lebanon) – Ranked no. 462
Runners Up – Women’s Singles
- Central Asia: Markhabo Magdieva (Uzbekistan) – Ranked no.586
- East Asia: Doljinzuu Batbayar (Mongolia) – Ranked no. 276
- South Asia: Manika Batra (India) – Ranked no. 61
- South East Asia: Jannah Romero (Philippines) – Ranked no.335
- West Asia: Mariana Sahakian (Lebanon) – Ranked no.377
Thus, Sharath Kamal Achanta and Manika Batra being the highest Olympic ranked runners up on the April 2021 list gain places in Tokyo.
Additionally, they will compete as a pair in the mixed doubles, having emerged successful in Doha.
Asian Qualification Tournament – Tokyo Places
- Men’s Singles: Nima Alamian (Iran), Ali Alkhadrawi (Saudi Arabia) Clarence Chew (Singapore), Lkhagvasuren Enkhbat (Mongolia), Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (India), Sharath Kamal Achanta (India)
- Women’s Singles: Manika Batra (India), Bolor-Erdene Batmunkh (Mongolia), Anastassiya Lavrova (Kazakhstan), Sutirtha Mukherjee (India), Orawan Paranang (Thailand), Hend Zaza (Syria)