Paris Olympics 2024 Table Tennis: Indian table tennis star Manika Batra’s impressive run at the Paris Olympics concluded on Wednesday with a 1-4 defeat to higher-ranked Japanese player Miu Hirano in the women’s singles pre-quarterfinals.
This loss marks Manika Batra’s fifth consecutive defeat to Miu Hirano.
Manika Batra, who struggled with errors throughout the match, lost with scores of 6-11, 9-11, 11-9, 14-12, 8-11, 6-11 in a match lasting 47 minutes.
The 29-year-old Batra had made history by becoming the first Indian table tennis player to reach the round of 16 at the Olympics, following a decisive 4-0 victory over France’s world number 18, Prithika Pavade, on Monday.
India paddler Manika Batra outclassed Prithika Pavade of France in the table tennis women’s singles round of 32 match of the ongoing Paris Olympics. Batra defeated her French opponent by 4-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7) in the table tennis women’s singles round of 32 match.
Batra bounced back from a two-point deficit to win the first game 11-9. The Indian clinched the second game with a comfortable five-point margin. Even though Pavade tried to resist in the third game, Batra took the game 11-9.
Batra, a Commonwealth Games gold medalist, had previously reached the round of 32 at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
All eyes are now on India paddler Sreeja Akula, who stormed into the Round of 16 after beating her Singapore opponent Jian Zeng in the women’s singles ’round of 32′ table tennis match at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday.
The Indian paddler won the Round of 32 match 4-2 (9-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, 12-10). The match lasted for 51 minutes at the South Paris Arena on Wednesday.
After Manika Batra, Akula became only the second Indian table tennis singles player to make the round of 16 at the Olympics.
(With inputs from agencies)