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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Man caught on CCTV kicking five-year-old playing outside home in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): A five-year-old boy was injured after he was allegedly kicked by a neighbour while playing near his uncle’s house, police said on Friday.
The incident occurred in Thyagarajanagar on December 14.
CCTV footage of the incident showed the child, identified as Neev Jain, playing badminton with other children outside the house when a man approached him from behind and suddenly kicked him.
The impact caused the boy to fall to the ground. The man was then seen casually walking away from the spot without offering any help or showing concern, the footage showed.
Police said a preliminary inquiry revealed that the accused is suffering from a mental health disorder and is undergoing treatment.
According to police, in her complaint, the boy’s mother, Deepika Jain, stated that she had visited her elder brother Manoj’s house on December 14.
At around 1.10 pm, while her son was playing with other children near the house, a resident of the neighbouring house, identified as Ranjan, allegedly kicked the child without provocation.
As a result, the boy fell and sustained bleeding above the eyebrow and abrasions on his hands and legs, she said.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered under Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The accused was arrested and later released, a senior police officer said.
A five-year-old boy was injured after a passerby kicked him while he was playing near his grandmother's house in Bengaluru's Thyagarajanagar.
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) December 19, 2025
More details in the video#Bengaluru #Child #Playing #IndiaTodayShorts pic.twitter.com/K8DkVT7AKD
