Manika Batra’s Paris Olympics Journey Ends in Round of 16

India’s star paddler Manika Batra and archer Tarundeep Rai concluded their campaigns at the ongoing Paris Olympics after being eliminated from their respective events on Wednesday.

In the Round of 16 of the women’s singles table tennis event, Manika faced a challenging match against Japan’s Miu Hirano. Despite her best efforts, Manika struggled to keep up with Hirano’s aggressive style of play.

The match began with Hirano dominating the first game, leaving little room for Manika to maneuver. The Japanese paddler swiftly secured an 11-6 win. Manika showed resilience in the second game, leveling the score at 9-9, but ultimately fell short, losing 11-9.

In the third game, Manika took an early lead, racing to 7-2. However, Hirano made a strong comeback, evening the score at 9-9. This time, Manika held her nerve to win the game 14-12, bringing the match score to 2-1 in favor of Hirano. The fourth game saw Manika trailing again but she managed to recover to 6-6 before Hirano clinched the game 11-8. In the fifth and final game, Hirano’s relentless attack overwhelmed Manika, who lost 11-6, concluding the match with a 4-1 defeat.