Picture Credit: Twitter
Star Indian paddler Manika Batra on Friday stormed into the semi-finals of the Asian Cup Table Tennis tournament with a 4-3 win over better-seeded Chen Szu-Yu of Chinese Taipei. World number 44 Manika beat Chen, ranked 23rd in the ITTF chart, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 9-11 and 11-9 in a hard-fought quarterfinal battle.
Batra also became the second India after Chetan Baboor to reach the last four of the championship. After being beaten black and blue in the opening set, Batra bounced back strongly and took a 3-1 lead with victories in three sets in a row.
However, Szu Yu, also displayed nerves of steel to make it 3-3 and take the match into the deciding set. The testimony of the quality of the contest was the fact that the clash between two highly competitive paddlers went down to the wire in the decider set, but eventually Manika managed to edge past her opponent.
Earlier, Batra continued her dream form as she got the better of World Number 7 Chen Xingtong in the pre-quarterfinals on Thursday (October 17). Manika clinched the match 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9. After the massive upset, the 27-year-old Manika pledged to keep working harder and carry the momentum forward.
After registering that win, Manika took to Twitter and wrote, "I am really happy beating world no. 7 in the TT Asia Cup, will just continue playing my best and keep this focus for next rounds. This is my 3rd win against a Chinese player recently. Thank you everyone for supporting and cheering for me."