Indian ace paddlers Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula stormed into the pre-quarterfinals of the Asian WTTC Continental Stage at the Lusail Sports Complex on Tuesday.
National champion Sreeja Akula beat World No. 21 Chen Szu-Yu of Chinese Taipei to reach the pre-quarterfinals. After being down 3-1, Sreeja made a stunning comeback to overcome the seasoned campaigner. On the other hand, Manika Batra, won comfortably by 4-0 over her Hong Kong opponent.
Other Indian women paddlers Diya Chitale, Reeth Tennison, and Swastika Ghosh didn’t proceed further as they crashed out of the competition which is serving as a qualifying stage for the World Championships.
The victories clinched by Manika and Sreeja keep the hopes alive of making it to the Worlds, which will take place in Durban, South Africa in May 2023.
Sreeja, ranked 72 on the ITTF World Ranking registered her biggest career win 4-3 (11-2, 5-11, 2-11, 5-11, 13-11, 11-9, 11-8) in a match that lasted for 52 minutes.
On the other hand, India’s top TT star and World No.35, Manika Batra beat Zhu Chengzhu in straight games 4-0 (13-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8). She advanced to the round of 16 where she will face Suthasini Sawettabut of Thailand.
Manush Utpal Shah and Harmeet Desai lost their respective matches in the men’s singles round of 32 matches.
Read More | Top 10 Best TT Balls
