Manika Batra, a top-ranked Indian table tennis player, made history.
She reached a position on Saturday in the Asian Cup Table Tennis 2022 that no other female table tennis player has been able to attain to that point.
Star Indian table tennis player Manika Batra won the bronze medal at the present ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup competition on Saturday, becoming the first female Indian paddler to take home a medal at the competition.
Hina Hayata, the three-time Asian champion and world No. 6, was defeated by her in the bronze medal match by a score of 4-2. 11-6, 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 4-11, and 11-2 were the scores when Batra overcame her opponent.
Lost in the semifinals but won the historic medal
Manika Batra made history by becoming the first Indian to play in the continental tournament’s semifinals, but she lost the match. Her outstanding performance in the semifinals of the 33rd Asian Cup table tennis competition in Bangkok on Saturday was derailed when she lost valiantly to Mima Ito of Japan. She had suffered a 2-4 defeat against Mima Ito (8-11, 11-7, 7-11, 6-11, 11-8, 7-11).
Following this loss, Batra won the bronze medal competition with a bang and claimed the title.
Manika Batra’s journey in the Asian Table Tennis Cup 2022
Thursday marked the beginning of Batra’s participation in the ongoing Asian Cup 2022 competition in Bangkok, Thailand.
In the opening round of the ongoing Asian Cup 2022 competition, Batra put in an incredible effort to defeat World No. 7 Chen Xingtong of China. At the Huamark Indoor Stadium, Batra, the world’s 44th-ranked table tennis player, overcame the fourth-seeded competitor 4-3 in the second round. Despite facing stiff opposition, she prevailed 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 8-11, and 11-9.
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Manika Batra advanced to the quarterfinals with an arduous victory. She also played Chen Tzu-yu of Taiwan in the eighth-round match, which she won 4-3. The top Indian table tennis player won the match 6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 9-11, and 11-9 to advance to the semifinals.
For the 27-year-old, the tournament has been incredible. There were rumblings that her career was in trouble after her poor showings at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the Senior Nationals. It was incredible to see how Manika changed the Asian Cup.
In the 39-year history of the Asian Cup, Manika has already achieved the best finish by an Indian after Achanta Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan both finished sixth in 2015 and 2019, respectively.
The current Asian Cup is being held in Bangkok, Thailand, at Huamark Indoor Stadium from November 17 through November 19.
