Manika Batra bows out of WTT Champions after quarter-final loss against China's Qian Tianyi

Indian table tennis star Manika Batra crashed out of the WTT Champions tournament in Montpellier, France following a quarter-final defeat against China’s Qian Tianyi on Saturday. Batra, the first Indian to reach the quarter-finals of the prestigious tournament, suffered a straight-games defeat against Tianyi in 25 minutes with the final scoreline reading 8-11, 8-11, 10-12.

Batra, a multiple Commonwealth Games medallist, fought well in all three games, but her Chinese opponent played the crunch points better to emerge the winner.

The world No 30 had defeated world number 14 Bernadette Szocs of Romania 11-9, 6-11, 13-11, 11-9 on Friday to become the first Indian paddler to enter the last eight. Batra had also defeated Szocs during the Round of 16 clash between India and Romania in the women’s table tennis team event in the Paris Olympics earlier this year, which the Indians had won 3-2.

Tianyi too had caused an upset in the pre-quarter-finals, stunning world No 4 compatriot and the top seed in Montpellier Yidi Wang 11-7, 11-9, 13-11.

Tianyi will now face third seed Japanese Miwa Harimoto in the semi-finals on Sunday.

World No 25. Sreeja Akula, who was also part of the Indian women’s table tennis team in the Paris Olympics and is the other Indian competitor in Montpellier, had made a first-round exit after a defeat to world number 13 Adriana Diaz of Puerto Rico 6-11, 11-7, 11-1, 8-11, 11-8.

With PTI inputs