Paris (France): India's seasoned paddler Manika Batra, 18th seeded, secured a comprehensive win over Great Britain's Hursey Anna in the Round of 64 match at the table tennis competition of the Paris Olympics 2024 on Sunday. Batra dominated most of the rallies to defeat the unseeded opponent Hursey by 4-1 in the match that stretched up to 41 minutes.
In the process, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion equalled her 2020 Tokyo Olympics feat of becoming the first Indian women's table tennis player to reach the round of 32 in singles.
The 29-year-old displayed her skills and determination and kept the opponent chasing the game throughout the match, winning by three straight sets and was on course to win the fourth as well. But Hursey made a comeback of sorts and won the fourth game. However, the British failed to maintain the momentum and lost the fifth game quite easily.
However, it wasn't an easy win for the 18th-seeded Indian, who faced a tough challenge for her money with close games of 11-8, 12-10, 11-9, 9-11, and 11-5.
With this exceptional performance, the 29-year-old has advanced to the Round of 32 and will face the challenge from 12th seed Prithika Pavade of France on July 31.
