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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Siddaramaiah holds emergency meeting with top cops over Kotekar Cooperative Society robbery
Mangaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah convened an emergency meeting with senior police officials in Mangaluru following the robbery at the Kotekar Cooperative Society on K.C. Road, Talapady. He directed authorities to expedite the investigation and apprehend the culprits at the earliest.
The meeting took place after a Medical Education Department program and was attended by Western Zone IG Amit, Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal, SP Yatish, and DySP.
Seeking a detailed briefing on the incident, Siddaramaiah questioned the officials about how the robbers managed to escape so easily, how many toll gates they crossed, and the lack of security at these checkpoints.
The officials however, conveyed that there was no security officer at the Society’s office at the time of the robbery and only five or six staff members were present at the time of the heist.
Police officials informed the Chief Minister that the suspects were recorded speaking in Kannada and Hindi. Siddaramaiah instructed the authorities to enforce strict checks at all toll gates, impose blockades across four districts borders, and ensure the arrest of the accused for strict legal action.
