Manika Batra: Nothing tells a comeback story better than a sport. On Monday, it was Manika Batra’s turn to write a comeback story that will be remembered for a very long time and should be known by everyone.
The golden girl of India cracked the code to defeat Chinese World No 2 Wang Manyu to progress to the round of 16 at Saudi Smash in Jeddah on Monday. She will now face Germany’s Nina Mittelham, ranked 14th in the world, for a place in the quarterfinals.
It was a grueling match that tested Manika to her limit. The match ran for 37 minutes and Batra came out on top with a 3-1(6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 12-10) scoreline. It was an uphill task after losing the first game.
Manika Batra To The Next Round
Manika recently lost her status as the top-ranked Indian female to Sreeja Akula and is now ranked 39th in the world. She had faced Wang Manyu 5 times before Monday and lost on all 5 occasions.
So, no matter how you looked at the situation, it was going to be hard to carve out a victory. The final set even went to a tiebreaker where Batra outsmarted Wang Manyu with a loosened grip shot and got the victory.
‘It Was Not A Day’s Work’
Manika was emotional after the match and even shed some tears of joy. “I am very happy because it wasn’t just a day’s hard work, it takes days, months, and years of hard work to achieve such results. I want to thank everyone who was there for me, cheered me, and supported me,” Manika said.
Manika’s coach Baglu would credit her composure. “The reason she’s beating more Asians this year is because she can play calm and controlled. But when needed like today, she can go aggressive with her attack. The combination is helping,” he stated as he got hopeful for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
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