Olympics 2024: Hirano curtails Batra’s dream run; Sreeja overcomes Zeng

Manika Batra’s bid to create more history at the Paris Olympics was snapped ruthlessly by Miu Hirano as the celebrated Indian paddler was completely outclassed by the tenacious Japanese in their last-32 match of the table tennis competition here on Wednesday.

Having already broken the glass ceiling a day ago by becoming the first paddler from the country to enter the pre-quarterfinals of the showpiece event, the enigmatic Batra arrived at the South Paris arena for the evening bout brimming with confidence.

That was completely visible when she went toe to toe with Hirano in the early exchanges at the makeshift arena right below a railway line. But Hirano stood her feet strongly in the early sparring and then totally dominated the affair thereafter, posting a largely one-sided 11-6, 11-9, 12-14, 11-8, 11-6 win that left Batra with a sullen face.

What cost Batra dearly in the match were a huge number of unforced errors. With eighth seed Hirano playing a very tight and compact game, 18th-seeded Batra’s discipline was tested constantly but the Indian couldn’t quite maintain that for long periods barring the third game which she won.

Hirano, who has never lost to Batra on the four occasions they’ve met, didn’t need a second invitation to accept those gifts. Level at 6-6 in the opening game, Hirano pounced on all the mistakes Batra made to jump to a 10-6 lead in the opening game and then sealed it when the Indian slammed the ball wide.

Batra waged a somewhat decent battle in the second and third games but she could only win one of them as she faltered massively on her returns, spraying the ball long and wide continuously. With the ball not going in her intended direction and Hirana clenching her fists at every point won, all Batra could do was keep smirking. The only time things went right for her was in the third where Hirano actually led and then fumbled towards the end.

That was the only mistake the Japanese made as she stormed to a 6-2 lead in the fifth game. From there it was always going to be a mountain to climb for Batra and although she went for broke with an all-out attacking ploy in the fifth, it ended up producing more errors and Hirano galloped home.

“I think I could have put in a lot more effort,” a disappointed Batra said. “I wanted to give the best for my country and I’m not happy with my performance today. The confidence came back in the third but thereafter she played really well. I’ll just focus now on team events, such things happen.”

Perfect birthday gift

Earlier in the day, Sreeja Akula celebrated her 26th birthday in style as she defeated Singapore's Jian Zeng 4-2 to storm into the pre-quarterfinals although the gift that lies ahead is something that she'll be dreading to open.

Sreeja lost a hard-fought opening game but the talented Hyderabadi, who has been making waves on the circuit over the recent months, showed solid composure to post a 9-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, 12-10 at the South Paris Arena. Sreeja was scheduled to face World No 1 Sun Yingsha of China later in the day.