New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) Manika Batra could not be more thrilled about bossing the World No.2 from China earlier this week but to beat the top-10 players more often, the Indian table tennis trailblazer knows she needs to do more on the tactical and fitness front.

After becoming the first Indian female to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Smash (top tier events organised by World Table Tennis), the 28-year-old doesn’t want to sit on her laurels and her focus is firmly fixed on the Paris Olympics in July-August.

The Delhi-born player shocked Wang Manyu, the 2021 World Champion in women’s singles and member of the Olympic gold-winning Chinese team at the Tokyo Olympics, before blanking 14th-ranked Nina Mittelham from Germany to make it a special week in Saudi Arabia.

The loss in the quarterfinals came against fifth-ranked Hina Hayata, an opponent Batra has beaten before, but on Thursday the Japanese was better prepared for the challenge.

Speaking to

Source: PTI News