indian table tennis news

Two-time Olympian Manika Batra shocked sixth seed Miyuu Kihara of Japan to reach the second round of the WTT Contender event in Taiyuan, China, on Thursday.

World No. 49 Manika defeated World No. 25 Kihara 3-2 (11-8, 10-12, 14-12, 9-11, 11-7) in 43 minutes to set up a round-of-16 clash against Miu Hirano, another Japanese paddler currently ranked 36th in the ITTF Rankings.

Manika led 6-2 in the second game after bagging the opener easily. However, Kihara managed to fight back, saving two game points before levelling the match.

The Japanese player was on her way to steal the third game as well as she won three points in a row from 8-10 down but this time, the Indian held her nerve to eventually take a 2-1 lead in the fixture.

What a thriller! 🔥
Manika Batra battles fiercely to topple the No.6 seed in the #WTTTaiyuan Round of 16 🙌🏻#TableTennis pic.twitter.com/dVoKyzPEb7
— World Table Tennis (@WTTGlobal) April 9, 2026

Kihara edged out Manika in a closely-fought fourth game, forcing a decider.

From 3-3 in the fifth game, Manika dictated terms and converted her first match point to secure her maiden win over Kihara in their third meeting.

Published on Apr 09, 2026

#WTT #Contender #Taiyuan #Manika #Batra #beats #Miyuu #Kihara #reached">

WTT Contender Taiyuan: Manika Batra beats WR 25 Miyuu Kihara, reached round of 16 Two-time Olympian Manika Batra shocked sixth seed Miyuu Kihara of Japan to reach the second round of the WTT Contender event in Taiyuan, China, on Thursday.World No. 49 Manika defeated World No. 25 Kihara 3-2 (11-8, 10-12, 14-12, 9-11, 11-7) in 43 minutes to set up a round-of-16 clash against Miu Hirano, another Japanese paddler currently ranked 36th in the ITTF Rankings.Manika led 6-2 in the second game after bagging the opener easily. However, Kihara managed to fight back, saving two game points before levelling the match.The Japanese player was on her way to steal the third game as well as she won three points in a row from 8-10 down but this time, the Indian held her nerve to eventually take a 2-1 lead in the fixture.What a thriller! 🔥Manika Batra battles fiercely to topple the No.6 seed in the #WTTTaiyuan Round of 16 🙌🏻#TableTennispic.twitter.com/dVoKyzPEb7— World Table Tennis (@WTTGlobal) April 9, 2026Kihara edged out Manika in a closely-fought fourth game, forcing a decider.From 3-3 in the fifth game, Manika dictated terms and converted her first match point to secure her maiden win over Kihara in their third meeting.Published on Apr 09, 2026 #WTT #Contender #Taiyuan #Manika #Batra #beats #Miyuu #Kihara #reached

April 9, 2026

Sports news

Two-time Olympian Manika Batra shocked sixth seed Miyuu Kihara of Japan to reach the second round of the WTT Contender event in Taiyuan, China, on Thursday.
World No. 49 Manika defeated World No. 25 Kihara 3-2 (11-8, 10-12, 14-12, 9-11, 11-7) in 43 minutes to set up a round-of-16 clash against Miu Hirano, another Japanese paddler currently ranked 36th in the ITTF Rankings.
Manika led 6-2 in the second game after bagging the opener easily. However, Kihara managed to fight back, saving two game points before levelling the match.
The Japanese player was on her way to steal the third game as well as she won three points in a row from 8-10 down but this time, the Indian held her nerve to eventually take a 2-1 lead in the fixture.
What a thriller! 🔥
Manika Batra battles fiercely to topple the No.6 seed in the #WTTTaiyuan Round of 16 🙌🏻#TableTennis pic.twitter.com/dVoKyzPEb7
— World Table Tennis (@WTTGlobal) April 9, 2026
Kihara edged out Manika in a closely-fought fourth game, forcing a decider.
From 3-3 in the fifth game, Manika dictated terms and converted her first match point to secure her maiden win over Kihara in their third meeting.
Published on Apr 09, 2026

#WTT #Contender #Taiyuan #Manika #Batra #beats #Miyuu #Kihara #reached">WTT Contender Taiyuan: Manika Batra beats WR 25 Miyuu Kihara, reached round of 16

Two-time Olympian Manika Batra shocked sixth seed Miyuu Kihara of Japan to reach the second round of the WTT Contender event in Taiyuan, China, on Thursday.

Manika led 6-2 in the second game after bagging the opener easily. However, Kihara managed to fight back, saving two game points before levelling the match.

What a thriller! 🔥
Manika Batra battles fiercely to topple the No.6 seed in the #WTTTaiyuan Round of 16 🙌🏻#TableTennis pic.twitter.com/dVoKyzPEb7
— World Table Tennis (@WTTGlobal) April 9, 2026

Kihara edged out Manika in a closely-fought fourth game, forcing a decider.

From 3-3 in the fifth game, Manika dictated terms and converted her first match point to secure her maiden win over Kihara in their third meeting.

Published on Apr 09, 2026

#WTT #Contender #Taiyuan #Manika #Batra #beats #Miyuu #Kihara #reached

Two-time Olympian Manika Batra shocked sixth seed Miyuu Kihara of Japan to reach the second…

Indian girls stamped their authority with a 3-0 victory over Sri Lanka, while the boys routed Maldives by a similar margin to begin their campaign in the ITTF-ATTU South Asia Youth Table Tennis Championships 2026 on a winning note in Shimla on Wednesday.

Having received a higher seeding, the Indian Under-19 girls made an immediate impact.

Jennifer Varghese, Ananya Muralidharan, and Prisha Goel registered straight or four-game wins to complete a comprehensive sweep against Sri Lanka.

ALSO READ | China dominates Table Tennis World Cup 2026: Sun Yingsha clinches third consecutive title, Wang Chuqin wins maiden WC

The Under-19 girls remain the only category competing for qualification to the Asian Youth Championships.

However, the continental event, originally slated for June in Muscat, has been postponed owing to the West Asia crisis.

In the Under-15 boys’ section, India mirrored that dominance with a 3-0 rout of Maldives in the second round.

Aditya Das, Akshay Kirikara, and Akash Rajavelu conceded very few points across their matches, underlining India’s depth at the sub-junior level.

Results

Under 19 Girls: India bt Sri Lanka 3-0 (Jennifer Varghese bt Shamaisha 12-10 11-8 11-9, Ananya Muralidharan bt Tamadi 11-7 11-7 12-10, Prisha Goel bt Sandin Mudiyanselage 8-11 11-4 11-5 11-9).

Under 15 Boys: India bt Maldives 3-0 (Aditya Das bt Mlohamed Rafiu 11-3 11-3 11-2, Akshay Kirikara bt Faaz Latheef 11-2 11-5 11-2, Akash Rajavelu bt Ayoob Saleem 11-4 11-6 11-3).

Published on Apr 08, 2026

#South #Asia #Youth #Table #Tennis #Championships #Indian #teams #winning #note">

South Asia Youth Table Tennis Championships: Indian teams begin on winning note Indian girls stamped their authority with a 3-0 victory over Sri Lanka, while the boys routed Maldives by a similar margin to begin their campaign in the ITTF-ATTU South Asia Youth Table Tennis Championships 2026 on a winning note in Shimla on Wednesday.Having received a higher seeding, the Indian Under-19 girls made an immediate impact.Jennifer Varghese, Ananya Muralidharan, and Prisha Goel registered straight or four-game wins to complete a comprehensive sweep against Sri Lanka.ALSO READ | China dominates Table Tennis World Cup 2026: Sun Yingsha clinches third consecutive title, Wang Chuqin wins maiden WCThe Under-19 girls remain the only category competing for qualification to the Asian Youth Championships.However, the continental event, originally slated for June in Muscat, has been postponed owing to the West Asia crisis.In the Under-15 boys’ section, India mirrored that dominance with a 3-0 rout of Maldives in the second round.Aditya Das, Akshay Kirikara, and Akash Rajavelu conceded very few points across their matches, underlining India’s depth at the sub-junior level.
Results

Under 19 Girls: India bt Sri Lanka 3-0 (Jennifer Varghese bt Shamaisha 12-10 11-8 11-9, Ananya Muralidharan bt Tamadi 11-7 11-7 12-10, Prisha Goel bt Sandin Mudiyanselage 8-11 11-4 11-5 11-9).

Under 15 Boys: India bt Maldives 3-0 (Aditya Das bt Mlohamed Rafiu 11-3 11-3 11-2, Akshay Kirikara bt Faaz Latheef 11-2 11-5 11-2, Akash Rajavelu bt Ayoob Saleem 11-4 11-6 11-3).
Published on Apr 08, 2026 #South #Asia #Youth #Table #Tennis #Championships #Indian #teams #winning #note

April 8, 2026