Manika Batra hits career high and makes Indian history – Firstpost

Manika Batra rose to a career-best singles ranking of 24th in the world after her success at the Saudi Smash tournament, becoming the first Indian table tennis player to crack the top 25 in the world rankings.

Batra, 28, who was ranked 39th before the Jeddah tournament, moved up 15 places after his quarter-final run.

Batra, a 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist in the individual and team categories, shocked China’s Wang Manyu, a multiple world champion and Olympic gold medalist, as she headed into the round of 16 at the Saudi Smash.

It was the first time that an Indian player had advanced this far in the tournament. Manika’s surge in power during the draw earned her 350 points.

In an Instagram post, Manika, who made history by becoming the first Indian paddler to reach the round of 16 in the women’s singles at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, wrote that this improvement in ranking came at the good time as she aims to secure a place. Time for the Paris Olympics.

“An extreme confidence boost on the road to Paris 2024. Entering the Top 25 and achieving the highest ranking ever achieved by an Indian in women’s singles in the ITTF rankings,” Manika wrote.

Manika thanked her coach Aman Balgu and training partner Kirill Barabanov from Belarus for her success. “Thank you all for your blessings and support. Especially my coach @amanbalgu, my sparring partner @kirill_barabanov and my family for their constant support. Onwards and upwards towards Paris 2024,” she added.