Manika Batra Stuns World No. 2 Wang Manyu in Saudi Smash
Indian table tennis star Manika Batra has achieved the biggest win of her singles career by defeating World No. 2 Wang Manyu of China at the Saudi Smash tournament. Batra, ranked 39th in the world, stunned the second-seeded Chinese player 6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 12-10 in just 37 minutes.
Batra’s victory is a significant milestone in her career, as she has previously struggled against top-ranked opponents. In the World Cup last month, she lost 0-4 to Wang Manyu. However, in this match, Batra displayed exceptional resilience and determination.
After losing the opening game, Batra fought back to take the next two games quickly. Wang Manyu kept herself in the match, but Batra remained composed and claimed the last two points to seal the victory.
“It is the biggest achievement of my singles career,” Batra said after the match. “I am really happy that I won against her. I have been working hard in my training sessions with my coach Aman Balgu and my trainers.”
In mixed doubles, Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade also had a successful outing, defeating the Spanish fifth-seeded pair of Alvaro Robles and Maria Xiao 3-2 (11-5, 5-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-7) to reach the quarterfinals.
Asian Games bronze medallists Ayhika and Sutirtha Mukherjee also advanced to the pre-quarters in women’s doubles, defeating Mariam and Marwa Alhodaby 3-0 (11-7, 1-3, 11-4).
However, Sreeja Akula, who recently surpassed Manika in the world rankings to occupy the No. 38 position, lost 7-11, 11-3, 11-9, 12-14 to Jieni Saho after leading the Portuguese player in two games.
Other Indian players, including A. Sharath Kamal, Archana Kamath, Manav Thakkar, and Sutirtha Mukherjee, also put up good fights in singles but ultimately fell short.