World Table Tennis Contender | Sathiyan and Manika bag mixed doubles crown

G. Sathiyan and Manika Batra couldn’t have asked for a better beginning to their preparations for the next Olympic cycle.

After announcing that they would compete as a duo till the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sathiyan and Manika made it a memorable outing at the World Table Tennis Contender, Budapest, on Friday, by clinching the mixed doubles crown, with a resounding 11-9, 9-11, 12-10, 11-6 win over Nandor Ecseki and Dora Madarasz of Hungary in the final on Friday. They became the first Indian pair to win a mixed doubles title on the Pro Tour.

Hardly challenged

Sathiyan and Manika combined wonderfully well throughout the tournament. With Sathiyan’s deft receives, an attacking forehand, and nimble-footedness backed by Manika’s attacking forehand and the backhand pushes and jabs on the long-pimpled rubber, they were hardly challenged. In the four rounds, they had lost just three games.

It was clear within minutes into the summit clash that Madarasz was the weaker link.

She doesn’t possess any particular armour to win points, which puts more pressure on Ecseki and he wilted under it making quite a few errors.

In the third game, the Hungarians had a game point at 10-9 but couldn’t convert. That was the only time they came close to winning a game.

Sathiyan and Manika gained 400 points each and a total amount of $3000.

“It was great. We didn’t expect to be this good! We just had a day to practise.

@My quickness on the table and Manika’s intelligent play, and her much-improved forehand enabled us to win the tournament,” said Sathiyan.

He further said beating the World No. 7 and the top-seeded duo of Lubomir Pistej and Barbora Balazova of Slovakia in the quarterfinals was a morale-booster.

“We will next play in the WTT Doha event and the Asian TT championships,” he said.

Singles loss

Late on Thursday, Manika’s singles campaign ended in the semifinals as she lost to Russia’s Elizabet Abraamian, ranked 415th in the world.

The 18-year-old, the reigning European youth (u-19) champion played an attacking game to down Manika Batra, the sixth seed, 12-10, 11-9, 12-10, 10-8.

Manika is expected to return to New Delhi on Saturday.

The results:

Women (semifinals): Elizabet Abraamian (Rus) bt Manika Batra 12-10, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8.

Mixed doubles (final): G. Sathiyan & Manika Batra bt Nandor Ecseki & Dora Madarasz (Hun) 11-9, 9-11, 12-10, 11-6.