Manika wins historic bronze medal at Asian Cup TT

BANGKOK: Manika Batra became the first India paddler to win a medal in the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup after shocking World No.6 Hina Hayata of Japan in the bronze play-off here on Saturday.

The World No.44 Manika defeated Hayata 4-2 (11-6, 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 4-11, 11-2) to achieve the incredible feat. Besides the historic bronze, Manika will carry home USD 10,000 for her efforts. “This win is a huge one for me, defeating the top players. I enjoyed playing and fighting well against them to achieve a fantastic result. I will continue putting the extra yards in all my future tournaments,” said an emotional Manika.

Earlier in the day, Manika lost 2-4 (8-11, 11-7, 7-11, 6-11, 11-8, 7-11) to the second-seeded Mima Ito (Japan) in the semi-finals. Manika on Friday ensured the best finish by an Indian in the 39-year-old history of the Asian Cup after Sharath Kamal Achanta and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran had come sixth in 2015 and 2019 respectively.