The Indian entered the quarter-finals, backing herself to put it past Hayata as she had upset the Japanese to win a historic bronze in the Asia Cup back in 2022
Manika Batra
Manika Batra’s giant-killing run at the Grand Smash tournament here ended in the women’s singles quarter-finals on Thursday as she lost to Japan’s Hina Hayata 1-4, having become the first Indian woman table tennis player to enter the last eight stage of an elite WTT event.
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The Indian ace was coming off victory over World No. 14 Nina Mittelham. After stunning World No. 2 Wang Manyu in the second round, Batra extended her red hot form in Saudi Arabia with a 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 win over her German rival in just 22 minutes on Wednesday. However, she could not stretch the run against World No. 5 Hayata, losing 11-7, 6-11, 4-11, 11-13, 2-11.
Earlier, Batra recorded first win over Mittelham in four attempts to set up a meeting with another formidable rival in Hayata. The Indian entered the quarter-finals, backing herself to put it past Hayata as she had upset the Japanese to win a historic bronze in the Asia Cup back in 2022.
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