Indian table tennis star Manika Batra, a Commonwealth Games gold medalist, will face Anna Hursey of Great Britain in the women’s singles opening round at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal, a six-time Olympian, will take on Deni Kozul of Slovenia in the men’s singles.
Manika, seeded 18th, made history at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the round of 32 in singles. She recently achieved a career-best world ranking of No. 24.
In other opening round matches, Harmeet Desai will face Abo Yaman of Jordan in men’s singles, while Sreeja Akula, seeded 16th, will play Christina Kallberg of Sweden.
Sharath Kamal, 41, is leading a six-member Indian contingent, making his fifth Olympic appearance. Manika will participate in her third consecutive Games.
Gnanasekaran Sathiyan, a member of India’s gold medal-winning men’s teams at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, has been selected as a reserve player.
In the women’s team event, 11th-seeded India will face fourth-seeded Romania in their opening match. The team includes Manika, Sreeja, and Archana Kamath.
The Indian men’s team, comprising Sharath Kamal, Manav Thakkar, and Harmeet, will face a tough challenge against top-ranked China in their opening round.
The Paris Games will mark the first time that India will compete in the team event at the Olympics. The men’s and women’s team events in table tennis were introduced at the 2008 Beijing Games.
