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Manika Batra Wins Thriller, Sreeja Akula Falls at ITTF World Cup

Indian table tennis star Manika Batra secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over USA's Lily Zhang in her final group stage match at the ITTF World Cup in Macau. In contrast, compatriot Sreeja Akula lost her match 1-3 to Portugal's Fu Yu despite a promising start. Akula now faces a daunting final group match against world number two Wang Manyu of China. Meanwhile, Manav Thakkar prepares to face Swedish world No. 2 Truls Moregardh after an opening loss.

Key Points: ITTF World Cup: Manika Batra Wins, Sreeja Akula Loses

  • Manika Batra wins 3-2 in final group match
  • Sreeja Akula loses 1-3 to Portugal's Fu Yu
  • Manav Thakkar faces world No. 2 next
  • No Indian has ever won an ITTF World Cup medal
2 min read

ITTF World Cup: Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula produce contrasting outings

Manika Batra wins a 5-game thriller vs Lily Zhang at ITTF World Cup. Sreeja Akula loses to Fu Yu. Updates on Indian players in Macau.

"The class of three-time Olympian Batra shone under pressure - Olympics.com"

Macau, March 31

The Indian table tennis stars Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula had contrasting outings on day two of the International Table Tennis Federation World Cup 2026 in Macau on Tuesday.

Manika, the world number 47th in women's competition, secured a a 3-2 (11-7, 11-2, 14-16, 5-11, 11-6) win over world No. 42 Lily Zhang of the USA. Manika was dominant, looking on track to seal the match in straight games, but Lily produced a brilliant comeback to enforce a tie-break in the third game and won the fourth game as well to take the game to a decider fifth game, as per Olympics.com.

The class of three-time Olympian Batra shone under pressure as she finished with a win in her final group stage match of the tournament.

On the other hand, the 44th-ranked Akula did make a promising start against Portugal's Fu Yu by winning the first game, but she went down 1-3 (8-11, 11-9, 15-13, 11-8) against the world number 48.

Sreeja's final group stage match will come on Wednesday against world number two and Olympic gold medalist Wang Manyu of China.

Manav Thakkar, who lost to South Korea's Park Gang-hyeon in his campaign opener in the men's singles' competition, will face Olympic silver medalist world No. 2 Truls Moregardh of Sweden on Wednesday.

No Indian player has ever secured an ITTF WC medal. Manika and Sreeja competed in the 2025 edition as well, but failed to make past the group stage.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
Tough luck for Sreeja. Fu Yu is a very experienced player. Sreeja showed promise by winning the first game, but consistency against top players is key. All the best against Wang Manyu tomorrow, it's a huge challenge but a great learning experience.
P
Priya S
Manika's experience really showed today. Being a three-time Olympian makes a difference in those clutch moments. We need more players with that kind of big-match temperament. Hoping Sreeja and Manav also put up a fight in their next matches!
R
Rohit P
The fact that no Indian has an ITTF WC medal yet shows how tough this sport is at the global level, especially with Chinese dominance. But wins like Manika's today are the stepping stones. The gap is closing, slowly but surely.
V
Vikram M
Good performance overall. But a respectful criticism: we need to work on closing out matches. Manika was up and let it slip to a decider. Sreeja won the first game and then lost momentum. Finishing strong is what separates the good from the great.
K
Kavya N
So proud of our paddlers! Table tennis doesn't get as much hype as cricket, but these athletes are putting India on the map. Let's support them more! All the best to Manav against the world no. 2 tomorrow. Just go out and play your game.

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