Women table tennis players Sreeja Akula, Manika Batra and Archana Girish Kamath celebrate with their coach after winning the round of 16 team match against team of Romania
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Riding on her killer instinct to win, paddler Manika Batra recorded victory in both her singles matches, including the high-pressure decider, in different situations as India, playing for the first time as a team, recorded a superb 3-2 win over a higher-placed Romania in the women’s team pre-quarterfinals of the Olympics at the South Paris Arena in Paris on August 5.
Manika, who became the first Indian to reach the last-16 stage, bounced back from her disappointing loss in the singles pre-quarterfinals to shoulder the responsibility with composure.
Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath gave India a positive start by winning the opening match against Adina Diaconu and Elizabeta Samara 11-9, 12-10, 11-7 in the doubles.
The duo coordinated well and secured the first two games even after getting a good challenge from the Romanians. The Indians erased two-point deficits in second and third games on their way to victory.
World No. 28 Manika made it 2-0 as she punched above her weight to upset 10th-ranked Bernadette Szocs 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 in the singles encounter.
Manika used her fine forehands to race away from 5-5 and pocket the opening game. Then she displayed more control, varying the pace of her shots, to take the second and benefitted from the Romanian’s errors in the third.
In the second singles, Sreeja frittered away her leads twice to lose to Elizabeta. Sreeja was not comfortable against the left-handed and made mistakes. In the decider, Sreeja played some excellent shots to catch up with Elizabeta but the Romanian regained her lead and ultimately won the contest.
Archana fought back to win the second game and level the match against Bernadette, but could not maintain her game.
Learning from her past mistake, Manika rose to the challenge in the decider and did not disappoint her team-mates. Varying her shots, Manika executed some spectacular drives and backhand drop shots to surge ahead against Adina. The Romanian gave a tough challenge by exhibiting smart shots in second and third games, but could not stop the Indian ace.
“We played with confidence and started really well with doubles. That gave me confidence. I am really happy how we all supported and cheered each other and played our best games,” Manika told The Hindu.
“I made the same mistake in 2019, we lost against Romania in the deciding match. I lost my last match, but this time I was focusing only on one point and on the match and that really helped me. I was more calm and confident this time. With Berni I recently lost, but this match was unbelievable for me because I played amazing today… I handled that pressure really well (in the last match).”
Coach Massimo Constantini was delighted with Manika’s effort. “Her entire game is to be patient. Every time she rushes, there is a risk of making mistakes. She managed very well. She did some proper variation. Her game is to confuse the opponent. So, the more you vary, the better you will be. The doubles win was crucial,” said Constantini.
The results (pre-quarterfinals):
India bt Romania 3-2 (Sreeja Akula-Archana Kamath bt Adina Diaconu-Elizabeta Samara 11-9, 12-10, 11-7; Manika Batra bt Bernadette Szocs 11-5, 11-7, 11-7; Sreeja Akula lost to Elizabeta Samara 11-8, 4-11, 11-7, 6-11, 8-11; Archana Kamath lost to Bernadette Szocs 5-11, 11-8, 7-11, 9-11; Manika Batra bt Adina Diaconu 11-5, 11-9, 11-9).