Manika became the first Indian to reach the semi-finals of Asian Table Tennis

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Star table tennis player Manika Batra on Friday became the first Indian woman to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Cup Table Tennis tournament.

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She defeated her higher-ranked Chen Hsu Yu of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals.

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Earlier in 2015, Achanta Sharath Kamal and in 2019, G Sathiyan had finished sixth.

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Manika has excelled not just in singles but also in mixed doubles.

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world champion Liu Shiwen, one of the best Chinese players, has lost to her only once.

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World No. 2 in 2020 was her highest ranking in her career.

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It is regarded as the pinnacle of achievement for an Indian to defeat a top-10 Chinese player,

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but for Manika, it came naturally

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She was unaffected in the tough last game, winning it 11-9 in the end.

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