Indian table tennis star Manika Batra moves up 3 spots in latest ITTF world rankings to reach 35th rank in women’s singles

Indian table tennis star Manika Batra moves up 3 spots in latest ITTF world rankings to reach 35th rank in women’s singles

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Indian table tennis star Manika Batra moved up three spots in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) world rankings on Tuesday to reach a career-best 35th in women’s singles.

The rise comes on the back of an impressive outing at the Asian Cup in November, where Manika Batra claimed a historic medal for India. She defeated the world No. 6 Hina Hayata (Japan) and world No. 7 Chen Xingtong (China) to win the bronze medal.

Manika became the first Indian woman table tennis player to medal at the continental event and only the second Indian to achieve the feat. Chetan Baboor won a silver in 1997 and a bronze in 2000.

The 27-year-old Manika Batra entered the top 50 in the TT world rankings in February last year and remained in the 30s and 40s throughout the year.

Apart from the Asian Cup high, Manika had a difficult season. She made the semi-final of just one event and the quarterfinals of two tournaments, including the Commonwealth Games 2022. Meanwhile, G Sathiyan remained India’s top-ranked men’s singles table tennis player at world No. 39 while national champion Sharath Kamal dropped three places to 47th.