Manika Batra first Indian in Asian Cup semis

Bangkok, November 18

Star paddler Manika Batra became the first Indian to reach the semifinals of the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup with a 4-3 win over Chen Szu-Yu of Chinese Taipei here today.

World No. 44 Batra beat No. 23 Szu-Yu 6-11 11-6 11-5 11-7 8-11 9-11 11-9 in a hard-fought women’s singles quarterfinals match at the Hua Mak Indoor Stadium.

Batra also ensured the best finish by an Indian in the 39-year-old history of the Asian Cup as Achanta Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan had finished sixth in 2015 and 2019, respectively.

Batra had the right measure of the Taiwanese, despite losing the first game to register her second win in the tournament. With today’s win, the unseeded Batra improved her win-loss record against Szu-Yu to 2-4. “She (Szu-Yu ) is a great player. I lost to her in the World Championships (Team) recently. But this time, I changed my strategies, and it paid off,” she said.