Manika Batra becomes first Indian table tennis player to reach round of 16 at the Olympics

Manika Batra on Monday became the first Indian table tennis player to reach the round of 16 at the Olympic Games singles competition after a 4-0 thrashing of higher-ranked Prithika Pavade of France here.

The 29-year-old Manika, gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, won 11-9 11-6 11-9 11-7 against her 19-year-opponent Pavade whose parents were originally from Puducherry before shifting to France in 2003.

In the Tokyo Olympics, Manika had become the first women's table tennis player from India to make it to the round of 32 in singles. She did one step better than that here on Monday.

Achanta Sharath Kamal had also reached the round of 32 in men's singles in the Tokyo Olympics.

Manika is currently ranked 28th in the world, 10 places lower than Pavade.

At the 2016 South Asian Games, Manika excelled by winning gold medals in women's doubles, mixed doubles, and the women's team events. Although she qualified for the Rio Olympics that same year, she was eliminated in the first round.

In the years that followed, Manika sustained her success, clinching a team gold medal at the 2019 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. Her achievement on Monday surpasses her previous milestone at the Tokyo Olympics, where she made history as the first Indian woman to advance to the round of 32 in singles.

Manika's standout accomplishment occurred at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. There, she led India to a historic gold in the women's team event, triumphing over the Singapore team. Additionally, she secured India’s first-ever silver medal in women's doubles.