Indian table tennis player Manika Batra on made history on Saturday when she became the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Asian Cup tournament, held in Bangkok, Thailand.
She won the bronze medal by defeating World number six and three-time Asian champion Hina Hayata 4-2. The Indian paddler defeated her opponent 11-6, 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 4-11, 11-2.
Apart from becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal at Asian Cup, Batra, who is currently ranked No.44 in the world, was also the first Indian woman to qualify for the semifinals in the tournament. She also became the second Indian after Chetan Baboor to reach the semifinals of the championship.
Manika Batra Scripts History by Becoming First Indian Woman to Win Bronze Medal in Asian Cup
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Before going for the bronze medal match, the Indian player lost to Mima Ito of Japan in the semifinals 2-4.
Batra started her tournament by defeating world number seven Chen Xingtong of China in the first round by 4-3 (8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9).
Despite her loss in the semifinals, Batra became the Indian to register the best finish in the 39-year history of the tournament. Prior to Batra, Achanta Sharath Kamal and G. Sathiyan finished sixth in the 2015 and 2019 editions of the tournament.