Table Tennis At Asian Games: Manika Batra Enters Pre-Quarterfinals; Mixed Pair Knocked Out
Star Indian paddler Manika Batra entered the pre-quarterfinals with a dominating win over lower-ranked Nepal's Nabita Shrestha in women's singles at the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Thursday. Manika, a 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist and a bronze winner in mixed doubles at the Jakarta Asian Games, blanked Nabita 4-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-3, 11-2) in just 20 minutes to set up a clash with Thailand's Suthasini Sawettabut. However, Sreeja Akula faced a humiliating defeat to North Korea's Songgyong Pyon 0-4 (6-11, 4-11, 13-15, 9-11) to bow out of the competition.