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India's star paddler Manika Batra pulled off an almighty upset on Monday as she stunned World No. 2 Wang Manyu to seal her place in the last 16 of the women's singles event at Saudi Smash 2024.
Batra stunned World No. 2 Manyu to register a 6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 12-10 victory. Wang, who won a key championship at Singapore Smash 2024 in March, was hoping for back-to-back triumphs on the WTT Grand Smash stage. Wang had won all five of her previous meetings with Batra, and the early signs in their sixth meeting all pointed to another easy victory for Wang, as the World No.2 raced through the opening game. A player who had never previously won a main draw match at a WTT Grand Smash tournament prior to this week, Batra couldn't have had higher odds stacked against her on Monday, but an answer in game two abruptly shifted the tone when the Indian player posed the question of her rival. With the threat of a shock elimination looming, Wang needed a quick start to the fourth to soothe her nerves, and with the first four points going her way, she seemed to be in control. Batra won eight of the next nine points to turn the game in her favour, only for Wang to answer with five straight points of her own to keep the game tied at 8-10. Batra went for it, preserving both points to bring the score back to 10-10, and she didn't stop there, relishing her second chance to record a historic victory. Lighting up the stadium with a big yell and a bright smile, Batra couldn't control her joy after the match's completion. Meanwhile, in mixed doubles, Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade shocked the 5th-seeded Spanish duo of Alvaro Robles and Maria Xiao 3-2 (11-5, 5-11, 3-11, 11-7,11-7) to reach the quarterfinals. (ANI)
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