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The Indian mixed doubles pair of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra outclassed Pang Yew En Koen and Lin Ye of Singapore 12-10, 9-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-8, 13-11 to storm into the Asian qualifiers final in Doha on Friday.
The Indian duo will be up against Lee Sang-su and Jeon Ji-hee of Korea in the summit clash on March 20. Provided they win, the Sharath Kamal-Manika Batra duo will be the first mixed doubles pair representing the country at the Olympics.
Coming into the match high on confidence, the Indians had a surprisingly slow start as the World No. 82 Singaporean pair took a 6-2 lead in the first game. Not ready to give up easily, Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra made a brilliant comeback to draw level at 9-9. At 10-all, the Indians won two game points to pocket the opener.
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The second game was a catfight between the two teams. The Indians fought for every single point before surrendering at the end. Sharath and Manika, however, bounced back with renewed vigor to take an 8-4 lead in the third game before bagging it.
Sharath Kamal & Manika Batra toil hard to regain lead
The Singaporean pair drew level once again by winning the fourth before Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra eked out a tight fifth game in this nail-biting contest.
The final game was an enthralling affair that kept swinging both ways. The Singaporeans took the initial lead only to see the resilient Sharath and Manika equalizing the score at 9-9. At 11-all, the World No.18 Indian pair won two quick points to seal their place in the final.
In the other semifinal, the World No. 5 Korean pair of Sang-su and Ji-hee won 4-11, 11-7, 11-4, 5-11, 11-8, 11-8 against Thailand’s Padasak Tanviriyavechakul and Suthasini Sawettabut.
Earlier on Thursday, G Sathiyan, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Sharath Kamal, and Manika Batra all qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in their respective singles categories.
