Paris: India's star paddler Manika Batra crashed out of the Paris Olympics by losing to eighth-seeded Japanese Miu Hirano in the pre-quarter finals of the women's individual table tennis competition on Wednesday.
Manika, who created history by becoming the first Indian paddler to reach the round of 16 in the Olympics, put up a strong fight against the Japanese player.
The air was thick with suspense as the scores swung back and forth. Manika's historic journey, marked by triumphs over higher-ranked opponents like France's Prithika Pavade and Great Britain's Anna Hursey in the earlier rounds, had raised the expectations back home of a spectacular show.
Hirano, however, started in style, clinching the first two games, 11-6 and 11-9**, but Manika tried to claw back,snatching the third game 12-14. The fourth game saw a tense battle, but in the end Hirano won 11-8, before claiming the next game 11-6 to seal the deal.
On the other side of the net, Hirano marched on, her eyes set on the ultimate prize. Having already clinched a silver medal at the Summer Games and two silvers at the Youth Olympics, she moved one step closer to adding another accolade to her impressive collection.
