Indian Table Tennis star Manika Batra storms into Saudi Smash quarterfinals

Star Indian table tennis player Manika Batra ousted world No. 14 Nina Mittelham of Germany to storm into the quarterfinals of the Saudi Smash here on Wednesday.

Batra, who had beaten world No. 2 Wang Manyu in the second round, defeated Mittelham 11-6 11-9 11-7 in 22 minutes to seal her maiden last eight entry in the event.

This is Batra’s first win over Mittelham in four attempts and now the Indian will have another formidable rival in the quarterfinal match in world No. 5 Hina Hayata of Japan.

The world No. 39 Batra had shocked China’s Wang 6-11 11-5 11-7 12-10 on Monday, while she had an easier outing against Romania’s Andreea Dragoman in the first round, winning 11-6 13-11 11-8.