World Team Table Tennis Championship: Indian women pip Hungary 3-2
Manika Batra’s splendid start and finish pulled India to a 3-2 victory over Hungary in the women’s section of the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan on Sunday.
After a disappointing display in the opening tie against China, where she lost both her matches, Manika, India’s top-ranked paddler, turned in a resolute performance, winning the first and fifth rubbers in style.
She defeated Dora Madarasz in her first match. The 30-year-old Hungarian is one of the most talented shot-makers in the sport, with deadly backhand drives.
After a wonderful performance against China, Sreeja Akula couldn’t repeat her performance as she lost both her matches, one to 39-year-old Georgina Pota and the second to Madarasz.
Ayhika Mukherjee, who had defeated China’s Sun Yingsha, the World No. 1, in the opening tie, played a tactical game to defeat Bernadett Balint.
In the fifth and deciding match, Manika was up against Pota. The Indian stood firm against the unconventional player to script a 11-5, 14-12, 13-11 victory. Indian women will next face Uzbekistan.
SCORES
India bt Hungary 3-2 (Manika Batra bt Dora Madarasz 8-11, 11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-4; Sreeja Akula lost to Georgina Pota 3-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11; Ayhika Mukherjee bt Bernadett Balint 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8; Sreeja lost to Madarasz 4-11, 6-11, 11-5, 7-11; Manika bt Georgina 11-5, 14-12, 13-11).