Top Indian paddler Manika Batra shocked world number 7 Chen Xingtong in a round of 16 cliffhanger, but compatriot G Sathiyan lost the pre-quarterfinals of his men’s singles at the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup in Bangkok on Thursday. In the round of 16 match-ups on the opening day, Manika, world number 44, who is unseeded in the event, put on a fantastic showing by beating the third-seeded Chinese 4-3. The final score in the edge-of-seat thriller was 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9 in favor of the Indian, while the Thai crowd expanded. his full support.
She thanked the spectators for their support.
“The victory gave me immense happiness as I beat the world number 7. I will continue to give my best as I have tried all along, and will keep the same intensity and focus for the next rounds,” said Manika.
The match was pushed to its limit by the exemplary bravery displayed by Manika as the Chinese paddler got the upper hand after making it 3-3.
Letting go of her cautious approach, Manika went for the kill in the decider to lead 5-2, 8-3, 8-7 and 9-7 before the third seed managed to keep her serve level at 9-9. Nevertheless, Manika seized the moment to serve out her opponent and took the last two crucial points to beat the third Chinese in her career.
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Manika led the first game 7-4 before letting the Chinese claw their way back to take it. But she picked up speed and cleverly mixed the up and down pace to confuse her opponent. That paid off, as she led 3-1.
But the Chinese closed in and took the next two games as Manika attacked. But everything changed in the last game as the Indian got her rhythm back to nail it.
Manika will meet the number 23 in the world, Chen Szu Yu from Taipei, in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Earlier, G. Sathiyan, the top ranked Indian in the world at No. 39, did everything right before losing 3-4 to fifth-seeded Japanese Yukiya Uda in the pre-quarter finals.
Although the Japanese won 11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-6, Sathiyan showed great character as he left 0-2 to strike back against world number 26 and tied at 2-2.
But the Japanese southpaw, who played far off the table and exploited the corners, led 3-2. In the fifth game, Uda should have sealed the match in his favour, but Sathiyan fought back well to narrow the margin.
He narrowed the gap from two points to restore parity at 9-9, and at deuce the Japanese squandered the advantage as his serve reached the edge of the table and went down.
As momentum shifted its direction, Sathiyan served at 11-10 to claim the crucial point to take the matter to the decider.
In the final game, Uda had the upper hand and stopped Sathiyan far from close range, advancing to the quarter-finals with an 11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11- 6 win .
However, Sathyan’s first-round exit netted him $2,250.
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Manika Batra