Chinese language No 5, Chinese language Taipei No 1: Manika Batra has had a few giant-killing days in Bangkok.
The weapon: her attacking, flattening forehand play.
It was put to good use once more by the Indian on Friday in her 4-3 (6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, September 11, 11-9) victory in opposition to world No 23 Chen Szu-Yu within the quarter-finals of the IITF-ATTU Asian Cup. Manika entered the competition with a spring in her step after taking down world No 7 Chen Xingtong of China within the Spherical of 16 a day earlier.
She now finds herself within the semi-final of the elite Asian particular person occasion as the primary Indian girl and solely the second after Chetan Baboor (silver in 1997, bronze in 2000). On Saturday, Manika faces Japan’s Mima Ito, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist ranked fifth on the earth, and regardless of the result will struggle for a medal later within the day.
The opposite girls’s last-four conflict is between gamers ranked 4th and sixth. At world No 44, Manika is the odd one out nevertheless it displays the injury she will inflict when she dishes out an aggressive sport on the desk to go together with her distinctive rubber on the racquet.
Which has been on present during the last two days on the Asian Cup, and which was largely lacking on the World Crew Desk Tennis Championships and Commonwealth Video games (CWG) earlier this yr. Within the former, she was blown away by Chen 11-7, 11-9, 11-3 through the Indian staff’s ouster by Chinese language Taipei. On the latter, she was stretched to 5 video games by a Malaysian participant ranked outdoors 500 in an general lackluster outing.
What’s modified? “These flatter forehand smashes—what we name flat kills,” stated S Raman, who was coach of the Indian contingent at each the CWG and staff worlds.
“After the World Championships, we had a chat and I steered to her that she ought to go for balls that come larger than her waist—smash them relatively than use the highest spin. That has at all times been her energy, being so tall. She these days would roll or prime spin them and preserve the ball in play. I informed her to go flat with the forehand and take it early.”
These attacking forehands pierced via Chen, in opposition to whom Manika had a 1-4 win-loss file, on Friday. After shedding an error-littered opening sport, Manika obtained them going—particularly whereas stepping across the ball—within the second the place she opened up a 5-2 lead and sprinkled her stable block and assault sport with a few unreturned serves. She equally bossed the third sport, leaping round with “C’mons” and firing away these forehands.
Chen started slowing down the rallies however Manika continued to sail away, pocketing the fourth sport regardless of shedding some late factors. Chen’s change of tempo although did have an effect; the Chinese language Taipei was within the lead within the fifth sport for the primary time for the reason that opening sport. As Chen discovered her placing rhythm so as to add to Manika’s string of errors, the world No 23 managed to take the seemingly easy victory for the Indian into the decider.
That’s the place Manika introduced her forehand A sport out once more. None extra so than within the rally of the match that put the Indian up 4-2. As Chen stored sending again excessive, crazy balls from manner behind the desk, Manika stored responding in type, one forehand after one other till it went previous Chen’s attain. Chen then gained 4 straight factors earlier than Manika pulled it again at 7-7. A vital unreturned serve for 9-8 and one match level later, Manika crossed the road at second crack.
“Someplace she misplaced the plot in attempting to play the standard technique of staying within the rally, which these prime gamers are so good at anyway. It’s good she has introduced her attacking forehand facet again, and t is paying dividends,” Raman stated.
This story has been printed from a wire company feed with out modifications to the textual content.