Paris Olympics: Manika Batra Progresses To Pre-Quarters; Scripts History

PARIS: Veteran Indian table tennis star Manika Batra has etched her name in the history books by defeating local favourite and 12th seed Prithika Pavade in the Round of 32 clash in the women's singles event in table tennis at the Paris Olympic Games 2024.

18th seed Manika produced a stellar show as she completely dominated her higher-ranked opponent and sealed the deal without even dropping a single set.

Batra cruised past her opponent 4-0 by a scoreline of 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 against her French opponent as she progressed to the Round of 16 stage and gave her a chance to have a shot at winning a medal for India.

The Indian table tennis sensation came into this match riding on the back of a comfortable victory against Anna Hursey of Great Britain in the Round of 64 encounter, in which she lost just one set.

By doing so, the 29-year-old has unlocked an incredible milestone by becoming the first Indian paddler in history (men or women) to reach the pre-quarters stage of the Olympic Games as far as singles are concerned.

Batra will lock horns against the winner of the match between Hong Kong's Zhu C or Japan's M Hirano in the Round of 32.

Meanwhile, India could have another paddler joining Manika Batra in the pre-quarter's as Sreeja Akula is set to face Singapore's Zeng Jian in the Round of 32 clash on July 30.

However, the campaign on the men's side produced disappointing results as India's flag bearer Achanta Sharath Kamal as well as Harmeet Desai were eliminated in the Round of 16 itself.

Manika Batra is arguably India's greatest female paddler ever with a stunning collection of an Asian Game bronze medal as well as two golds as well as one silver and bronze in the Commonwealth Games.

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