Manika Batra becomes first Indian to reach Asian Cup TT semifinals
Bangkok, Nov 18: Star paddler Manika Batra on Friday became the first Indian to reach the semifinals of the Asian Cup Table Tennis tournament with a 4-3 win over higher ranked Chen Szu-Yu of Chinese Taipei here.
World number 44 Manika beat Chen, ranked 23rd in the ITTF chart, 6-11 11-6 11-5 11-7 8-11 9-11 11-9 in a hard-fought women's singles quarterfinal match at the Hua Mak Indoor Stadium.
Manika has already ensured the best finish by an Indian in the 39-year-old history of the Asian Cup, after Achanta Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan had finished sixth in 2015 and 2019 respectively.
The ace Indian paddler had earlier shocked world No. 7 Chen Xingtong of China in a round of 16 match on Thursday.
Manika will meet world number five and second seed Mima Ito of Japan in the semifinals on Saturday. The other semifinal will be played between world number four Wang Yidi of China and Hina Hayata (world number six) of Japan.
The USD 200,000 event features the top 16 players in the men's and women's singles from the continent based on world rankings and qualifications.
Manika had the right measure of her Chinese Taipei opponent, despite losing the first game to register her second win in the tournament.
With Friday's win, the unseeded Manika improved her win-loss record against the Taipei paddler to 2-4.
"She (Szu-Yu ) is a great player. I lost to her in the World Championships (Team) recently. But this time, I changed my strategies, and they paid off. Today's win has given me confidence and I will play with all focus back tomorrow," said Manika.
After a scratchy first game, Manika took control of the match and dictated terms against her higher-ranked opponent.
The Indian got everything going for her -- the blocks, the placements, the backhand and forehand scorchers and the cross-court shots.
With run-away hits in the second, third and fourth games, Manika surged to a 3-1 lead. But a time-out in the fifth at 7-7 brought the Taipei woman back in the game and she went on to win it 11-8.
Manika should have killed the match in the next when she led 8-5. But Szu-Yu closed the gap to be a point behind, forcing Manika to take a time-out.
On her return to the table, the Indian managed to go ahead 9-7, but on Manika's serve, the Taipei player levelled 9-9 and finished the game off in style to level the match 3-3.
In the decider, Szu-Yu took four points on the trot from 2-2 to go up 6-4, a two-point lead and a distinct advantage. But, Manika fought back after the change of sides to make it 7-7 and held two match points at 10-8.
But the sixth-seed Szu-Yu managed one more point before Manika shut her out, claiming the last point.
Meanwhile, men's singles first-round losers G Sathiyan and Sharath Kamal, who finished in the 9-16 position brackets, will receive USD 2,250 each.
Proud of Manika Batra who created history as the first Indian Women Paddler to enter Semi-Finals in the Asia Cup Table Tennis!
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) November 18, 2022
She stunned world No 7. Xingtong of China in pre-quarter and defeated Chen Szu-yu of Taiwan in quarter to reach the semis.
All the best @manikabatra_TT pic.twitter.com/YoK0pwgnZ1
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
