[WATCH] Manika Batra’s heart-warming celebration after beating World No. 2 Wang Manyu at Saudi Smash 2024

India’s table tennis star Manika Batra scripted history as she outclassed World No. 2 Wang Manyu on Monday (May 6) to reach the quarter-finals of the 2024 Saudi Smash Table Tennis tournament at the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).

She stunned the Chinese star with an exhilarating performance despite losing the first game of the match. It is worth noting that Wang Manyu had beaten her 4-0 in the World Cup last month. However, the Indian player gave a befitting response on Monday, beating the higher-ranked star with the scoreline of 6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 12-10.

The 39th-ranked Manika Batra lost the opening game against Wang but made a remarkable comeback to take the next two games pretty quickly. The fourth game turned out to be a nail-biter but it was the Indian superstar, who fetched the final two points to seal a remarkable win.

The video clip of Manika Batra’s winning moment over the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist has been going viral on the internet. You can watch the clip here:

Manika is scheduled to clash against 14th-ranked Nina Mittelham of Germany in the Round-of-16 clash.

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“It is the biggest achievement of my singles career” - Manika Batra

Notably, the Indian table tennis star had beaten top-10 ranked players in the past, however, winning against the world number 2 had a much bigger significance.

Manika Batra even termed the win as the biggest achievement of her singles career. She thanked her coach and trainers for helping her secure the win even and expressed her confidence to win the upcoming clashes.

“It is the biggest achievement of my singles career. I am really really happy that I won against her. I have been working hard in in my training sessions with my coach Aman Balgu and my trainers.

“You have to got to keep on working hard (to achieve something like this). Thank you all for believing in me. I will keep this fighting spirit for my next match,” she said after the match.