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The Gloria Sports Arena in Turkey has been witnessing some thrilling table tennis action as the WTT Contender Antalya 2023 is being held there. With a substantial prize purse of $75,000 at stake, the tournament attracted top players from around the world.
Among the participants, India was represented by Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra. The two paddlers took part in the singles category. They also paired up in the mixed doubles event.
While Manika had a direct entry into the main draw, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran faced a challenging path to secure a place in the main draw; he had to battle it out in the qualifying rounds.
Despite playing some impressive table tennis, the Indians faced disappointment. Sathiyan crashed out in the final round of the qualifying draw, while Manika couldn’t make it past the second round of the main draw. In the mixed doubles event, the Indians were defeated by a French pair in the first round.
A closer look at the results
Sathiyan, who received a bye in the first round, displayed his abilities by defeating Nandor Ecseki in a thrilling five-set match 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6. However, his journey in the qualifying rounds came to an end when he succumbed to a 0-3 loss against Lilian Bardett of France.
Manika Batra, on the other hand, dispatched Annett Kaufmann of Germany with a decisive victory. The Indian paddler beat her German counterpart in straight games 12-10, 11-6, 11-4.
Her journey in the tournament continued into the round of 16, where she faced another German, Ying Han. While Manika put up a valiant fight, she eventually lost 6-11, 4-11, 11-13.
While both Indians played well in the singles matches, the Indian duo was tamed by the teenage French pair of Felix Lebrun and Prithika Pavade in the mixed doubles event. The Indians lost the match 4-11, 5-11, 7-11.
Manika will now be seen in action at the WTT Champions Frankfurt 2023 in Germany, taking place from October 29. She will be the only Indian to feature in the event.
