Manika Batra goes down to World No. 5 Wang Yidi in the pre-quarterfinals at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Frankfurt 2023

The World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Frankfurt 2023 is taking place at the Süwag Energie Arena in Frankfurt, Germany, from October 29 to November 5. With a significant prize pool of USD 500,000 and the participation of the world's top paddlers, this tournament is witnessing some high-intensity action and thrilling performances. Among the talented athletes gracing this grand stage is India's Manika Batra.

In her opening match, Manika Batra faced Hong Kong's Doo Hoi Kem, the bronze medalist from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (women's team event). Despite a challenging draw, Batra showcased her experience and abilities to triumph in the first-round encounter.

However, the real test for Batra came in the pre-quarterfinals on November 2, when she faced off against World No. 5, Wang Yidi from China. Despite going down in straight games, Manika Batra put in a brilliant performance.

A closer look at the result

The match started off with a neck-and-neck fight, with the scores tied at 3-3 in the first game. Yidi then accelerated and took an 8-3 lead, but Batra fought back impressively to make it 6-8 and then 8-9.

The Chinese paddler took the next point to make it game point, but Batra maintained her composure, leveling the scores at 10-10. The players continued to take game points alternatively, before Yidi eventually prevailed, taking three continuous points and sealing the first game 16-14.

The second game followed a similar pattern, with both players evenly matched at 3-3 and 7-7. Yidi managed to edge ahead, taking a 9-7 lead before winning the game 11-9.

In spite of being two games down, Manika Batra continued to impress and showed no signs of giving up. She began the third game well, keeping the scores level and preventing Yidi from taking a significant lead.

However, after the score reached 7-7, Wang Yidi played a series of superb shots and secured four straight points, ultimately winning the game 11-7. The final score read 16-14, 11-9, 11-7 in favor of Wang Yidi.