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.

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.