World TT: Manika Batra loses, Indian challenge ends

India's top paddler Manika Batra produced a fighting display against world No. 13 Adriana Diaz of Puerto Rico before losing 3-4 (11-6, 10-12, 9-11, 11-6, 11-13, 11-9, 3-11) in the women's singles Round of 32 at the World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Durban on Wednesday.

The doubles pair of Sharath Kamal-G Sathiyan and Manika-Archana Kamath also lost as India's challenge in the premier event ended.

The story, and the end result, could well have been a lot different had Manika, the world No. 39, managed to convert two game points each in Games 2 and 5, both snatched away by Diaz.

The Indian began brightly against the 22-year-old Puerto Rican, who became the first paddler from her country at the Olympics in 2016 Rio. After taking the first game 11-6, Manika held the edge in the second to take a 10-8 lead before Diaz saved both game points and converted her first at 11-10.

In the third game, Manika erased a 6-2 deficit to make it 7-7 but Diaz still took it 11-9. From 3-3 in the fourth, Manika reeled in five straight points to level things up at two games apiece.

Locked at 3-3 again in the crucial fifth game, Manika nudged ahead though Diaz ensured it did not out go out hand. Manika found herself again with two game points at 10-8, which Diaz again saved and pulled the 13-11 game from under the Indian's grasp.

Manika put that disappointment behind and built an 8-3 lead in sixth game where, this time at 10-9, Manika won the point that mattered.

The tight contest though met an anti-climactic end as Diaz was simply too good in the decider, racing to 6-2 and giving Manika just one point thereafter.

Manika also lost in the women's doubles Round of 16 with Archana Kamath, the world No. 2 Japanese pair of Mima Ito and Hina Hayata proving clinical in a 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 victory.

Also crashing out in doubles was Sharath and Sathiyan, who surrendered an opening-game lead to lose 3-1 (11-9, 8-11, 12-14, 10-12) to experienced Englishmen Liam Pitchford and Paul Drinkhall.

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