Paris Olympics 2024: Manika Batra-led India beat Romania 3-2 to enter quarterfinals of women's TT team event

India secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the women’s table tennis team event at the Paris Olympics 2024, achieving a dramatic 3-2 victory over Romania on Monday.

In a thrilling encounter at the Paris Olympics 2024, India's women's table tennis team, led by star player Manika Batra, secured a memorable victory over higher-ranked Romania with a score of 3-2, advancing to the quarterfinals on Monday. The Indian team, seeded 11th in the competition, overcame the fourth-seeded Romanians in a closely contested match.

The tie began with a strong performance from the duo of Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath, who won their doubles match against Adina Diaconu and Elizabeta Samara with scores of 11-9, 12-10, and 11-7. This victory set the tone for India's early lead.

Manika Batra continued the momentum by defeating the higher-ranked Bernadette Szocs in straight games, winning 11-5, 11-7, and 11-7. With this, India established a commanding 2-0 lead.

However, Romania fought back as Sreeja Akula lost a hard-fought singles match to European champion Elizabeta Samara, despite winning the first game. The final scores were 11-8, 4-11, 11-7, 6-11, and 8-11. The tension escalated when Archana Kamath faced Bernadette Szocs in the next singles match. Despite a strong start, Kamath lost 1-3 (5-11, 11-8, 7-11, 9-11), leveling the tie at 2-2.

In the decisive match, Manika Batra stepped up once again, delivering a stellar performance against Adina Diaconu. She won convincingly with scores of 11-5, 11-9, and 11-9, sealing India's victory and securing their place in the quarterfinals.

India will face either the USA or Germany in the next round. The same side of the draw also includes Japan, Poland, France, and Thailand.

Last week, both Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula made history by becoming the first Indian players to reach the round of 16 in the individual event at the Olympics. Despite their efforts, they could not advance further, losing to higher-ranked opponents.