PUNE, July 20: India’s highest-ranked female paddler Manika Batra returned to winning ways on Thursday as she produced scintillating performances to hand Bengaluru Smashers their first victory in the Ultimate Table Tennis here.
Bengaluru Smashers have now jumped to fourth position in the league table with an 8-7 win over defending champions Chennai Lions.
Manika, who lost to reigning national champion Sreeja Akula in the previous contest, looked at her imperious best in the second match (women’s singles) of the tie and clinched a 2-1 win against the Chennai Lions paddler.
The world No. 35 began the first game with a bang as she startled Sutirtha with her powerful forehands. Later, Manika also used her precise backhands to secure the game 11-6.
The second game saw Sutirtha making a strong comeback. She took the lead at the start of the game and put Manika under pressure with her swift net play and accurate shots on both sides of the table.
Sutirtha took her compatriot to the edge and won the game through a golden point. Manika came back strongly in the third game as she used her reach to full advantage. The Asian Games bronze medallist did not let Sutirtha settle into her game and quickly took the game 11-8 to win the match.
Earlier, veteran Sharath Kamal took his time to settle into the first match of the tie (men’s singles) as Kirill Gerassimenko took an early lead in the first game.
The Indian paddler then used his experience and precise backhand shots to come back into the game and brought the score down to 10-10. However, Kirill was quick to react to earn the golden point and a lead in the tie.
The second game also saw the Kazak paddler going into the lead at first, only for the two-time Asian Games medallist to make a comeback in an astonishing fashion. Top-notch top spins and side spins were on display as Sharath showcased his class to win the game 11-7.
The third one also went down to the wire where Kirill reigned supreme to win the game and match through a golden point. In the third match of the tie, Manika and Kirill defeated Sharath and Yangzi Liu 2-1 to extend Bengaluru’s lead.
Rising Indian star Jeet Chandra showcased his potential in the fourth match of the tie despite losing 1-2 to world No. 33 Benedikt Duda. The last game of the tie was a women’s singles match where Yangzi beat Natalia Bajor 2-1. (PTI)
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