Indian Table Tennis Duo Exits Paris Olympics After Tough Battles

India's historic singles table tennis campaign at the Paris Olympics concluded with Manika Batra's defeat to Japan's Miu Hirano and Sreeja Akula's loss to world number one Yingshaw Sun on her birthday. Despite the losses, both players showcased India's potential by reaching the Round of 16.

Manika Batra became the first Indian to reach the pre-quarterfinals at the Olympic Games on Monday. Sreeja Akula joined her in the Round of 16 after a 4-2 victory over Singapore's Jian Zeng. However, both players struggled against their higher-ranked opponents in their subsequent matches.

Manika Batra's Match Against Miu Hirano

Manika faced Miu Hirano, who has been in excellent form, and lost 6-11, 9-11, 14-12, 8-11, 6-11. Despite having healthy leads in the second and third games, Manika couldn't maintain her momentum as Miu adapted quickly. "I could have put in more effort. I was not happy with the way I started. I am not happy internally," Manika said after the match.

Manika rued her inability to play to her strengths, particularly her forehand. "My forehand was just not coming. I don't know why. It happens. I can be sad today, but I have to be ready for the country for the team event," she added.

Sreeja Akula's Battle Against Yingshaw Sun

Sreeja Akula fought valiantly against Yingshaw Sun but lost 10-12, 10-12, 8-11, 3-11 in her Round of 16 match. She had opportunities to take games but couldn't capitalise on them. On her birthday, she had five game points in the second game but lost six points in a row to concede it.

Sreeja managed to keep pace with Sun in the first two games but struggled against Sun's powerful returns. Despite pulling off some fantastic winners, she couldn't sustain her performance against the world number one.

In her earlier match, Sreeja had rallied to enter the pre-quarterfinals with a hard-fought win over Zeng Jian from Singapore. The scores were 9-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, and 12-10.

Team Events Await Indian Players

Indian players will now shift their focus to team events following their singles campaign. Both Manika and Sreeja have shown that Indian table tennis has potential on the big stage despite their individual losses.

Manika lost the first game quickly but adjusted her playstyle to lead 5-1 in the second game. However, Miu closed the gap using her fast strokes, putting Manika on the back foot as she took a 9-7 lead. A backhand error from Miu made it 9-9 before Manika handed her rival a game point by hitting an angled forehand out.

The third game saw Manika taking advantage of Miu's unforced errors from the backhand side to lead 7-2. Yet again, Miu erased the deficit to make it 9-9 before Manika held her nerves to save three game points and eventually won it when Miu hit a backhand long.

In the fourth game, Manika changed her approach and added aggression despite trailing initially. She levelled the score by logging four straight points but eventually lost due to unforced errors.

The fifth game was dominated by Miu as she raced to a 5-1 lead while Manika continued making unforced errors. Although Manika closed the gap to make it 6-8, two backhand errors gave Miu four match points which she sealed when Manika hit a forehand long.

Manika had previously lost to Miu last August as well. Despite these setbacks, both players' performances at this stage indicate that Indian table tennis is progressing and has potential for future success.