Manika Batra:
Manika Batra also created history in WTC Champions. Manika, who has been the poster girl of Indian table tennis for years, on Saturday became the first Indian player to make it to the quarter-finals of this important tournament.
India’s star table tennis player Manika Batra also created history at the WTC Champions. Manika, who has been the poster girl of Indian table tennis for years, on Saturday became the first Indian player to make it to the quarter-finals of this important tournament. Manika won in just 29 minutes in the pre-quarterfinals of the ongoing tournament in Montpellier, France.
Manika was facing 14th ranked Bernadette of Romania. World number 30 Batra won 11-9, 6-11, 13-11, 11-9 in 29 minutes. He had also defeated the same opponent in the Paris Olympics pre-quarterfinals. Now Batra will face China’s Qian Tianyi. Qian defeated her compatriot Wang Yidi 11-7, 11-9, 13-11.
Manika Batra made it to the women’s singles pre-quarterfinals by defeating Lily Zheng of America 3-0 in a one-sided match on Wednesday. Had created history by becoming the first Indian player to reach the singles pre-quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics. This time too he had registered an easy victory of 11-4, 11-8, 12-10 in just less than 22 minutes.