Manika Batra 1st Indian Woman To Rank in World Top 25 TT Single Player
Person in News
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Manika Batra has become the first Indian women's table tennis player to be included in the top 25 ranked women singles players in the world. In the latest world ranking released by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), she achieved her career-best rank of 24 in singles events.
Her success in the Saudi Smash 2024 Table Tennis tournament helped her improve her world ranking from 39 to 24. At the Saudi Smash event in Jeddah, she reached the quarter-final stage. She is the first Indian player to reach the quarterfinal round of a WTT Grand Smash event.
Manika Batra equalled Sathiyan Gnanasekaran's record for the highest rank achieved by an Indian in the table tennis singles event. In 2019, he achieved his career-best ranking of 24.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran is a mixed doubles partner of Manika Batra and both have won many medals for India together.
About Manika Batra
Delhi-born Manika Batra is one of India's most well-known table tennis players. She has brought many laurels to the country by winning medals at various international competitions. She is also credited with making table tennis popular among girls. She turned down a modelling career to concentrate on the sport.
Her Medal Winning Performance
16-year-old Manika Batra made her debut on the international stage at the Chile Open in 2011. Where she won a silver medal in the U-21 category.
Medals at the Commonwealth Games
- Manika Batra won four medals, including two golds at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
- She became the first Indian women's player to win a gold medal in the singles event by defeating Singapore’s Yu Mengyu in the final.
- Later, she was part of the Indian women's team that won the gold medal in the team events. The Indian team defeated the Singapore team, which had been undefeated in the Commonwealth Games since 2002.
- She also won a silver medal with Mouma Das in the women's doubles event.
Asian Games
Manika Batra and Sharath Kamal won a bronze medal in the mixed event at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.
World Table Tennis (WTT) Event
- Manika Batra and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran became the first-ever Indian pair to win a mixed doubles title at the Budapest WTT Contender Title in 2021.
- She and Sathiyan Ganasekhran again paired up to win mixed doubles silver at the Doha WTT Contender in 2022.
- She also won a bronze medal in the women’s double with Archana Kamath in the WTT Star Contender in Doha.
Olympics
- To date, India has never won any medals in table tennis in the Olympics.
- Manika Batra first qualified for the Olympics and participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
- At the Tokyo Olympics, she reached the round of 32. She is the first and only Indian women's table tennis player to reach the round of 32 in an Olympics.
- She is part of the Indian table tennis team that will represent India at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Her Other Achievements
Manika Batra and Archana Kamath were ranked world no. 4 in the WTT women's doubles on April 5, 2022.
This is the highest ranking achieved by any Indian table tennis player in any category.
Awards for Manika Batra
- She was honoured with India’s highest sports honour- Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2020.
- She was awarded India’s second highest sport award-Arjuna award in 2018
- She is the only Indian table tennis player to receive ITTF’s ‘Breakthrough Star’ Award. She got the award in 2018.
