Manika scripts history, gets gold in TT women’s singles
GOLDCOAST: Manika Batra created history by becoming the first Indian woman table tennis player to win a singles gold at the Commonwealth Games while Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan went down fighting in the men’s doubles to settle for silver.
World No 58 Manika’s dream run in the quadrwennial event continued as she blanked 50thranked Yu Mengyu of Singapore 4-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7) in a onesided final.
However, it was the semifinal win over world No 4 Feng Tianwei that meant more. The Delhibased player showed that her crucial victory against multiple Olympic medallist Feng in the team final was no fluke as she edged out the Singaporean 4-3 (12-10, 5-11, 11-8, 5-11, 5-11, 11-9, 13-11) in the semi-final.
Manika foxed Feng for the second time in a row with smart play in both defence and offence to overcome a 2-3 deficit.
India have recorded their best showing in table tennis at CWG, winning three gold, two silver and a bronze.
Three-time CWG gold medallist Sharath Kamal tried his best against Nigeria’s 26th-ranked Aruna Quadri in men’s singles semifinals before going down 0-4 (10-12, 9-11, 9-11, 7-11). The world No 48 takes on England’s Samuel Walker in the bronze play-off.
He had to endure a loss in the men’s doubles final with Sathiyan as they lost to England’s Liam Pitchford and Paul Drinkhall 11-5, 10-12, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9.
The bronze in men’s doubles went to Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shetty, who got past Singapore’s Poh Shao Feng Ethan and Pang Yew En Koen 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 12-10).