New Delhi, May 14: Manika Batra touched a new height, jumping 15 places to be World No. 24, according to the latest ITTF Rankings updated today. Thus, Manika became the first woman paddler in the country to reach a new peak in her career graph, etching her name in the history book.
Before entering the Saudi Smash last week, Manika was No. 39 and a spot behind Sreeja Akula. But her stellar performance in Jeddah, where she reached the quarterfinals, changed the equation and placed the Delhi woman in an enviable position.
Incidentally, this was precisely the highest-ranking position (No. 24) that G. Sathiyan held for a few months in 2019, to be the top-ranked Indian in the world then.
For the records, Manika stunned world No. 2 and Olympic medallist Wang Manyu of China before outshining world No. 14 Nina Mittelham of Germany. Eventually, she lost to world No. 4 Hina Hayata of Japan in the quarterfinals.
But A. Sharath Kamal slipped three places while holding on to his status as the highest-ranked Indian at No. 40. Manav Thakkar and Harmeet Desai occupy the 62nd and 63rd positions, respectively.
The women’s doubles pair of Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee climbed to the 13th spot even as Manav and Manush Shah dropped three places and placed 15th in the men’s doubles category.
In mixed doubles, the duo of Manika and Sathiyan holds steady at the 24th spot, despite slipping one position.
After breaking into top 25, Mankia Batra said: “It is indeed a very proud moment for me. To break into the top 25 and achieve my career-best ranking just months before the Olympic Games is definitely a very potent boost to my preparations. I am truly honored to have achieved this feat and it is incredibly fulfilling to see all my hard work and efforts pay off. As I look ahead to Paris 2024, I’m motivated more than ever to continue this performance and move upwards in the ranking to make my country proud. I really want to thank God for the blessings that helped me to give my best performance at the highest level. Improvement is a continuous process and I am committed for it”
-TTFI
