India’s star paddler Manika Batra on Saturday scripted history as she defeated the World No. 6 Hina Hayata for a bronze closing her run in the Asian Cup Table Tennis.
Batra defeated Hayata in 6 games by 4-2 and became the first Indian woman and second in the country to win a medal in the history of the tournament. Falling weak after 4 rounds Batra showed her mettle bringing down the sixth seeded. She defeated the 3-time Asian Champion Hayata by 11-6, 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 4-11, and 11-2.
World No. 44 Manika had earlier defeated world No. 23 Chen Szu-Yu of Chinese Taipei 4-3 in the quarterfinals at the Hua Mak Indoor Stadium. Manika has already Batra after Achanta Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan had finished sixth in 2015 and 2019 respectively has ensured the best finish by an Indian in the 39-year-old history of the Asian Cup.