India’s star women’s table tennis player Manika Batra put the world on notice as she defeated world number two Wang Manyu of China to advance to the quarter-finals of the Saudi Smash tournament. This helps the paddler get into the perfect rhythm ahead of the Paris Olympics where she will lead the Table Tennis contingent.
After losing the opening set, World number 39 Manika Batra won the 37-minute match 6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 12-10. Her opponent was the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist and 2021 world champion. However, Batra showcased her experience to topple the Chinese paddler in four sets.
Expressing her excitement after the win, Batra said, “This is the biggest achievement in my singles career. I am really happy that I won against her. I am working hard with my coach Aman Balagu and my coaches. You have to work hard to achieve something like this. Thank you all for believing in me. I will carry this feeling in my next match as well.”
Indian paddlers are having a good tournament in Saudi
In the mixed doubles, Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade defeated the fifth-seeded Spanish pair of Alvaro Robles and Maria Gio 3-2 (11-5, 5-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-7) to reach the quarterfinals. Asian Games bronze medalist pair Ahika and Sutirth Mukherjee defeated Maryam and Marwa Alhodabi 3-0 to advance to the quarter-finals.
