Let us tell you that in the first match of the team event, the Indian pair of Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath defeated the Romanian pair of Adina and Samara 3-0 and gave India a 1-0 lead. After this victory, the Indian team was full of confidence.
World No. 28 Manika Batra was up against European Games gold medallist Bernadette Szocs in the women’s singles. Szocs, ranked 10th in the table tennis rankings, had a poor start due to unforced errors and could not recover as the Indian kept the momentum going and registered a stunning 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 (3-0) win.
In the third match, Sreeja Akula faced Elizabeth Samara. This match was very exciting and Samara defeated Sreeja 3-2 and made the score between India and Romania 2-1. During this, Sreeja Akula lost 11-8, 4-11, 11-7, 6-11, 8-11.
In the fourth match, Archana Kamath faced Bernadette. Bernadette defeated Archana 3-1 and made the score between India and Romania 2-2. Now all eyes were on the fifth and final match, in which Indian star player Manika Batra came on the court.
Manika Batra performed brilliantly against Edina Diaconu and won the first two games easily. However, Edina made a comeback in the third game and gave Manika a tough fight. But Manika played with a calm mind and won the third game and took India to the quarterfinals. Manika won 11-5, 11-9, 11-9. In this way, the Indian women’s team won 3-2 against Romania in a thrilling match and booked a ticket to the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals will be against USA or Germany
The Indian women’s table tennis team will now face the USA or Germany team in the quarter-finals.
