NEW DELHI: India's campaign at the World Table Tennis Championships came to an end as Manika Batra fought hard but ultimately lost to Adriana Diaz of Puerto Rico in a thrilling round of 32 match.
Ranked 39th in the world, Manika won the first game before Diaz took control. The match remained closely contested until the sixth game, with both players tied at 3-3. However, Diaz secured victory by winning the decider, resulting in a 4-3 (6-11, 12-10, 11-9, 6-11, 13-11, 9-11, 11-3) scoreline and advancing to the last 16.
Despite the loss, Manika's performance ensured the best singles result for India in the tournament.
In the men's doubles event, Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran suffered a defeat in the round of 16 against the English pair of Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford. The English duo emerged victorious with a score of 3-1 (11-9, 8-11, 12-14, 10-12). Notably, Kamal and Gnanasekaran had previously defeated Drinkhall and Pitchford on their way to winning the gold medal at the 2018 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
In the women's doubles, Manika Batra and Archana Kamath faced Japan's Hina Hayata and Mima Ito in the round of 16 but were unable to secure a victory. They lost in straight games with a score of 0-3 (8-11, 6-11, 7-11), resulting in their exit from the tournament.
Unfortunately, India did not achieve any notable success in the World Table Tennis Championships, ending their campaign without a medal.
(With inputs from PTI)
