Historic Win for Manika Batra Table Tennis Team at Paris Olympics
In a thrilling display of skill and determination, Indian table tennis players Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, and Archana Kamath led the women’s team to the quarter-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday. The 11th-seeded Indian team defeated the fourth-seeded Romania 3-2 in a nail-biting round of 16 encounter.
Manika Batra, ranked world No. 28, played a pivotal role, winning both her singles matches. Meanwhile, the duo of Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath secured a crucial victory in the doubles match, setting the stage for India’s historic win.
“We are really happy because this was the first time the Indian team qualified for the Olympics,” Manika said. “And we beat one of the best teams, the Romanians. I think we all gave our best. I’m really proud of myself and my team, how we played and supported each other. We are really happy, but we have to focus on the next match, the next round. We will give our best for ourselves and for our country.”
The day started with Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath taking on Romania’s Adina Diaconu and Elizabeta Samara in the doubles contest. The Indian duo dominated the match, winning in straight games 3-0 (11-9, 12-10, 11-7) in just 27 minutes.
Next, Manika Batra faced Bernadette Szocs, the European Games gold medallist. Despite Szocs’ high ranking at world No. 10, she was unable to match Manika’s precision and power. Manika won convincingly 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-7), giving India a strong 2-0 lead.
Romania, however, mounted a comeback. Sreeja Akula faced the experienced Elizabeta Samara in the third match. Despite a promising start, Sreeja lost 3-2 (8-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8).
Bernadette Szocs then defeated Archana Kamath 3-1 (11-5, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9), bringing Romania level at 2-2.
In the decisive final match, Manika Batra once again proved her mettle, overcoming Adina Diaconu in straight games (11-5, 11-9, 11-9), securing a 3-2 victory for India.
This marks India’s first appearance in the table tennis team events at the Olympics. The Indian team now looks ahead to their quarter-final match, where they will face the winner of the contest between the USA and Germany.