Manika Batra continued to hog the limelight in the Ultimate Table Tennis, scalping another higher ranked player at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here today.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games double gold medallist squeezed past World No. 30 Matilda Ekholm 2-1 (8-11, 11-10, 11-10) in a pulsating duel to help Dabang Smashers T.T.C. take an early lead against defending champions Falcons TTC.
Japanese World No. 27 Yoshida Masaki swelled Smashers' tally to 5-1 with an easy 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-8) victory over Sanil Shetty.
The 23-year-old Manika matched her Swedish rival's guile and unleashed 10 winners that eventually made the difference.
All three games were locked at 8-8 but the Indian, ranked World No. 80, broke through twice to net golden points and seal victory.
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