Manika first Indian woman to reach Asian Cup TT semis

Star paddler Manika Batra on Friday became the first Indian to reach the semifinals of the Asian Cup Table Tennis tournament with a 4-3 win over higher-ranked Chen SzuYu of Chinese Taipei here.

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Bangkok: 

World number 44 Manika beat Chen, ranked 23rd in the ITTF chart, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 9-11, 11-9 in a hard-fought women’s singles quarterfinal match at the Hua Mak Indoor Stadium.

Manika has already ensured the best finish by an Indian in the 39year-old history of the Asian Cup, after Achanta Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan had finished sixth in 2015 and 2019.