Paris Olympics 2024: The intricacies of Manika Batra's masterclass as she seals historic win

As the players warmed up, the French crowd buzzed with electric anticipation, hoping to see their medal hope, World No. 18 Prithika Pavade, triumph on home soil. Four games later, a hushed silence enveloped the South Paris Arena as India’s Manika Batra delivered a masterclass, dismantling the home favourite in straight games with breathtaking precision. This wasn’t just a victory; it was a historic triumph, as Manika became the first Indian paddler to advance to the Round of 16 at the Olympics.

The left-handed Prithika, known for her relentless attacking style, began the match with a calculated strategy: serving long and wide to Manika’s forehand. This tactic was designed to avoid the tricky ’long pimple’ rubber on Manika’s backhand, which can disrupt the rhythm of opponents. Throughout each rally, Prithika attempted to stretch Manika wide to her forehand, aiming to unsettle her and create openings for a powerful topspin to her backhand side.

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The underlying aim was to keep Manika constantly on the move, forcing her into awkward foot positions around the table. By doing so, Prithika hoped that when Manika was finally compelled to use her ’long-pimpled’ backhand in the rally, she would be off-balance, lacking the stability and control needed to effectively return the shot.

But Manika had also done her homework. She had an answer to every question Prithika posed, especially when it came to receiving serves on her forehand side - a previous weak spot that Prithika had hoped to exploit.

Manika’s improvement in this area was on full display, as she relentlessly attacked each long and wide serve, putting Prithika under pressure. This approach also disturbed Prithika’s positioning after her serves. Expecting to transition smoothly to an attacking stance after each serve, she was instead met with aggressive strokes from Manika, leaving her off-balance with nothing to capitalize on.

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As Prithika scrambled for solutions, she promptly fell into the trap that Manika had meticulously set. Shifting her serves to Manika’s backhand and middle, Prithika played right into her hands. This allowed Manika to unleash the deceptive power of the ’long pimple’ backhand rubber into play. Manika then started using all the tricks up her sleeve, executing a brutal boxing-style 1-2 combination: Topspin loaded attacks from her forehand followed by sudden drops in speed from her backhand. This destroyed whatever was left of Prithika’s footwork and rhythm, and helped Manika wrap things up with a scoreline of 4-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7).

It was heartwarming to witness the immense significance of this victory to Manika and the Indian table tennis contingent, who were out in full strength to cheer her on. The synergy between Manika and her personal coach, Aman Balgu, who was in the stands as part of the Indian contingent, was also evident. Each time she navigated a tricky rally or flawlessly executed a pre-set plan, Manika would quickly glance into the stands, locking eyes with her coach. They exchanged imperceptible nods, a silent acknowledgement of a point well played. This unspoken connection underscored the depth of their preparation and mutual trust, highlighting the collective effort behind Manika’s historic triumph. Manika also had National Team Coach Massimo Constantini in her corner, providing invaluable tactical support throughout the match.

Tactics aside, the biggest takeaway for Manika would be her mental grit. This was epitomized in the first game when the scores were locked at 8-8. Manika appeared to have won the point, but it was replayed due to a stray ball from a neighbouring table entering the arena, despite Prithika having already missed her shot. On any other day, any other player might have argued with the umpire or lamented the loss of such a crucial point. But not Manika.

She calmly got back to her position, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and continued without missing a beat. This level-headed approach paid off, enabling her to successfully navigate a tough opponent and an even tougher crowd. It will undoubtedly propel Manika to perform at her highest potential as she sets herself a tryst with destiny in the upcoming Round of 16 clash, where she will face the winner of the match between Zhu Chengzhu of Hong Kong and Miu Hirano of Japan.