Manika Batra Takes on Hina Hayata in Quarterfinals of Saudi Smash 2024: A Battle for Table Tennis Supremacy

Manika Batra, the current Indian women’s singles table tennis champion, is set to face Japan’s world No. 5 Hina Hayata in the quarters on Thursday. Hayata is a former Asian champion and multiple World Championships medallist. The two players have met three times before, with Hayata winning twice.

Batra’s recent performances have been impressive, as she defeated world No. 2 and former world champion Wang Manyu from China during the Saudi Smash 2024 tournament, advancing to the round of 16. This victory was considered the biggest achievement of her career. Prior to this, she defeated world No. 57 Andreea Dragoman of Romania in the opening round.

After losing her position as the top-ranked women’s singles player in India to Sreeja Akula, Batra is determined to reclaim her spot as India’s No. 1 table tennis player. Her best singles ranking so far is 33, achieved in the early part of last year. With strong performances at this tournament, she hopes to not only raise her ranking but also secure a spot in future international competitions.

Batra is currently the only Indian table tennis player remaining in the competition after Sharath Kamal and Sreeja Akula were eliminated in the first round of men’s and women’s singles respectively, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah were defeated in second round men’s doubles team and Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee were knocked out in quarter-finals women’s doubles pair and Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade were eliminated from mixed doubles pair in quarter-finals . The Saudi Smash event is set to conclude on Saturday.