On Sunday, July 28, Manika Batra, the Indian woman paddler, got the better of Anna Hursey from Great Britain in the round of 64 match in the women’s singles table tennis event at the Paris Olympics 2024. At the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the 29-year-old won with a scoreline of 11-8, 12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, to reach the round of 32.
In the early stages of the first game, Manika Batra and Anna Hursey exchanged points before the Indian pulled away at a critical juncture, to take it quite comfortably 11-8. The second game was quite a close affair from start to finish with Hursey putting the pressure on her Indian opponent, but Batra found a way to close it out at 12-10.
The third game saw the teenager Anna Hursey take a 8-7 lead at one stage, but Manika Batra stayed calm under pressure to convert the second game point, managing to take it 11-9. Batra, the 18th seed in the women’s singles table tennis event, started the fourth game, taking an early 5-1 before allowing Hursey to get ahead 6-5.
After a frequent back-and-forth, Anna Hursey found a way to take the fourth game 11-9, making a comeback into the match. In the fifth game, Manika Batra put aside the disappointment of giving away the previous game in style, closing it out 11-5, also winning the match in the process.
Moreover, in a major surprise from the men’s singles table tennis event, the Indian legend, Achanta Sharath Kamal, suffered a shock defeat in the round of 64 against Deni Kozul of Slovenia 12-10, 9-11, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 10-12.