Manika Batra lone Indian women to advance into second round
Mumbai, May 31: India’s Manika Batra produced an impressive performance to register a comprehensive straight games 4-0 win against Klaudia Kusinska of Poland in a women’s singles first round match of the 2017 World Table Tennis Championships, to be held at Dusseldorf, according to information received, here, on Wednesday.
The lanky Manika, ranked 103 in the world rankings, immediately settled into a rhythm and completely took control against her Polish opponent Klaudia, ranked 140. Manika began cautiously, but once she got into a groove she scored some fine winners to seal a deserving 11-6,11-6,11-3,11-5 victory to advance to the second round.
However, the three other Indian women players in the main draw, Ayhika Mukherjee, Mouma Das and Madhurika Patkar, all failed to get past the first round, losing to more superior rivals. Ayhika (rank 150) lost to Japan’s ninth seed Hitomi Sato (rank 10) 0-4. Mouma Das (rank 129) took a game before losing to 12th seed Jia Liu of Austria 1-4 and National champion Madhurika (rank 190) also succumbed to 0-4 defeat at the hands of Australia’s Jian Fang Lay (rank 102)
Results – Women’s singles (1st round): Ayhika Mukherjee (IND) lost to Hitomi Sato (JPN) 0-4 (4-11, 5-11, 4-11, 3-11); Manika Batra (IND) beat Klaudia Kusinska (POL) 4-0 (11-6,11-6,11-3,11-5); Mouma Das (IND) lost to Jia Liu (AUT) 1-4 (7-11, 7-11, 12-10, 7-11, 5-11; Madhurika Patkar (IND) lost to Jian Fang Lay (AUS) 0-4 (8-11, 6-11, 5-11, 7-11).
Men’s singles (1st round): Soumyajit Ghosh (IND) vs Anton Kallberg (SWE)
Sharath Kamal Achanta (IND) vs Jesus Cantero (ESP)
Harmeet Desai (IND) Hugo Calderano (BRA)
Sathiyan Gnansekaran (IND) vs Hunor Szocs (ROU)
Soumyajit Ghosh (IND) vs Anton Kallberg (SWE)
(rank 83) – (rank 97)
Sharath Kamal Achanta (IND) vs Jesus Cantero (ESP)
(rank 54) – (rank 132)
Harmeet Desai (IND) -- Hugo Calderano (BRA)
(rank 95) -- (rank 25)
Sathiyan Gnansekaran (IND) -- vs Hunor Szocs (ROU)
(rank 125) -- (rank 82)