Table Tennis: Manika Batra makes incredible comeback to enter third round in Tokyo Olympics
Indian paddler Manika Batra made a stunning comeback in the second round of the women's singles in Tokyo Olympics to defeat World No.20 Margaryta Pesotska of Ukraine.
Batra, who lost the first two games of the match 4-11, 4-11, came back to win two games on a trot and eventually seal a 4-3 victory to enter the third round of women's singles.
The 26-year-old made a slow start to her second round match against the higher-seeded Ukrainian, conceding a number of unforced errors early. However, she made a strong recovery in game three, beating Pesotska 11-7.
The game four was gruelling for both the players, with Pesotska forcing longer rallies against the Indian. The longest rally in the game had 43 shots, but Batra prevailed after forcing 10-10 while being down previously. She eventually won 12-10.
FOLLOW 2020 TOKYO OLYMPICS LIVE COVERAGE HERE
The Ukrainian showed her class again, sweeping past Batra to finish the game five in 8 minutes. The Ukrainian looked to seal the match when she led 4-1 in the sixth game.
Batra, then, took a time-out and responded strongly, allowing the Ukrainian only one more point before cruising to a 11-5 win and force a decider.
The Indian eventually won the final game 11-7, sealing a place in the third round of women's singles at Tokyo Olympics.
Batra might be joined by India's Sutirtha Mukherjee, who also won the first round of women's singles on the opening day of the Games.
