New Delhi: Indian paddler Bhavina Patel has stormed into the Women's singles Class 4 finals after defeating China's Zhang Miao, who is currently ranked World no.3. With this feat, Patel has become the first Indian to enter the finals of a Table Tennis event at the Paralympics.
Patel has been receiving showers of praise and support from people all over India.
Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, took to Twitter to congratulate and offer good wishes to the paralympic player.
Patel defeated her World no. 3 Chinese opponent 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, and 11-8 in the semifinals. The match lasted 34 minutes.
The 34-year-old had lost her opening match but was soon back on her feet in the next two matches. This was her maiden Paralympics.
The paddler made history after she defeated World no.2 player, Borislava Peric Rankovic of Serbia, in the quarterfinals and secured a medal for India.
On winning the match, Bhavina Patel said, "It's a big achievement. Everyone says defeating China is tough. Today, I have proved nothing is impossible. I urge all Indians to give their blessings to me for the final match tomorrow, so I'll be able to perform better."
On August 29, she will lock horns with World no. 1 paddler Ying Zhou to fight for the gold medal.
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