Star paddler Manika Batra created history on Saturday as she became the first Indian female to a medal at the Asian Table Tennis tournament. Unseeded Batra defeated Hina Hayata 11-6, 6-11, 11-7, 12-10, 4-11, and 11-2 to clinch the bronze medal in the competition.
Earlier, Manika lost the semifinal 8-11 11-7 7-11 6-11 11-8 7-11 (2-4) to world No.5 Japanese paddler Mima Ito.
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Manika's Bronze medal is India's best-ever finish in the 39-year-old history of the Asian Cup after Achanta Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan had finished sixth in 2015 and 2019 respectively.