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Manika Batra came back from behind to script a fairytale win over Ukraine’s Margaryta Pesotska in her second round match while G Sathiyan crashed out of his debut Olympics, losing to lower-ranked Siu Hang Lam.
Manika Batra beat Ukraine’s Margaryta Pesotska 4-3 (4-11, 4-11, 11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7) in a match that lasted just short of an hour while Sathiyan lost to Lam 3-4 (7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 10-12, 6-11) in the second round at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Sunday. The match lasted for a little more than an hour.
Sathiyan lost his first game but came back from behind to win the next three on the trot after losing the first, but the 95th ranked Lam held his nerve to win the next three to oust Sathiyan.
In the other match, Manika Batra faced Margaryta Pesotska of Ukraine. Batra started very slow and lost the first two games when she made a host of unforced errors. Her defense was not on the line and Manika packed more punches than required to make unforced errors.
Her poor start saw the Ukrainian take an early lead but Manika Batra came back into the game with some good spinning slices. The battle swayed back and forth and Margaryta took the first game 11-4 in just 5 minutes. Margaryta was the more dominant of the two and attacked Manika Batra's forehand repeatedly to win the second game as well.
Read: Manika Batra: Can the paddler become India's first ever table tennis medalist?
Turning point for Manika Batra
Manika Batra took the lead for the first time in the match in the third game at 7-6 and then went on an attacking spree with ferocious forehand winners.
The Indian soon restored parity by knocking out Margryta's middle and forehand side and not allowing her to play the dominant backhand.
Margaryta had no answers and succumbed to the Indian’s relentless attack as Manika Batra made it 2-2.
However, the Ukraine player, came back with a bang in the fifth game to win 11-8.
Pushed to the wall, Manika Batra tried her best to come back into the game but soon found herself trailing 2-5. A timeout, a deep breath, some water and a prayer helped Manika Batra as she dished out an amazing game, winning nine points on the trot to stun Margryta.
In the decider, Manika Batra made sure the Ukrainian did not play to her strengths – indulging in long rallies and pushing her to make unforced errors. She completed a fantastic last-ditch comeback to snatch the match and register her first win at the 2021 Olympics.
Checkout: Tokyo Olympics Medal Tally
Sathiyan flops on Olympics debut
Sathiyan, ranked 38, started on a slow note but switched gears instantly, not allowing Lam to read his game properly.
The first game started on level terms with both players trading points but the Hong Kong player ran away from a 6-6 score line, with superior forehand play.
Sathiyan started attacking more and went into rallies and even put up a good defense to thwart Lam’s forehand attacks. A plethora of unforced errors did Hong Kong player in.
The Indian then raced to a 5-1 lead in the third game and Lam had little time to get back into the contest as Sathiyan closed the game and the next one in his favor with multiple forehand winners and backhand flicks.
Recovering from the jolt, Lam came back stronger and came back on level terms by changing his game style and not allowing Sathiyan to settle into the groove.
Sathiyan saved two game points in the sixth game but an unforced error in the third meant the players were tied at three games each.
In the decider, pressure seemed to have got the better of Sathiyan as Lam opened up a 4-2 lead in quick time, forcing the Indian to take a time out.
The time-out did no good as Lam sent in a ferocious forehand winner and started dictating terms. A forehand winner and an unforced error from Sathiyan then handed Lam the match.
Read: Olympics 2021: 3 takeaways from Sathiyan Gnanasekaran's shocking loss
Sathiyan lost the plot in the later stages of the match
Former table tennis player and Beijing 2008 Olympian Neha Agarwal opined that the pressure of playing his first Olympics could have got onto Sathiyan. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, she said:
“Lam had nothing to lose. Sathiyan was the higher-ranked player and he needed to win the game more badly than Lam. That probably could have played on his mind. Lam gave more than he usually gives and that made the difference.”
Neha Agarwal said the change in tactics from Lam proved to be the difference. She said:
“After being three games down, Lam changed the pace of the game. Sathiyan is usually good with counter-attacks and is good at rallies. The Hong Kong player did allow both to happen. I personally feel Sathiyan could have taken a time out in the fifth or sixth game instead of the decider. Sathiyan is smart in his game and so is Soumyadeep Roy (the coach). He is good with his strategy and tactics too. May be an earlier timeout could have helped Sathiyan.”
Also read: Introducing Hend Zaza, the 12-year-old Syrian prodigy competing at the Tokyo Olympics 2020
