Manika Batra was the lone Indian with a clean slate on the opening day of the main draw at the WTT Star Contender Goa 2023, here on Wednesday.
The lanky paddler started the day by steamrolling over England’s Ho Tin-Tin 3-0 in the women’s singles round of 64 in the morning. Manika then paired up with Archana Kamath in the afternoon, and the World No. 6 combination and the duo were in danger of being ousted in the women’s doubles round of 16.
The Indian duo staged a remarkable comeback after trailing 2-0 against Hong Kong’s Zhu Chengzhu & Li Ching Wan to win the marathon 53-minute encounter.
Manika capped off the day by teaming up with G. Sathiyan to enter the mixed doubles quarterfinal. The World No. 5 pairing avenged the previous two losses against Korea’s Yubin Shin & Lim Jonghoon 3-1.
Sathiyan had a mixed day, overcoming compatriot Harmeet Desai in the men’s singles first round, but his and A. Sharath Kamal’s doubles campaign came to an end in the first round.
Sharath’s tournament campaign ended with a straight-set defeat against Kazakhstan’s Kirill Gerassimenko in the singles first round in the last match of the day.
Important results (IND unless specified)
Men’s singles: G. Sathiyan (IND) bt Harmeet Desai (IND) 11-4, 10-12, 13-11, 11-9; Emmanuel Lebesson (FRA) bt Wesley Do Rosario 11-4, 11-3, 11-8; Kirill Gerassimenko (KZK) bt A. Sharath Kamal 11-8, 11-7, 11-8.
Women’s singles: Manika Batra bt Tin-Tin Ho (ENG) 11-4, 11-8, 11-5; Hana Goda (EGY) bt Sreeja Akula 11-2, 11-13, 11-8, 11-2; Miyu Nagasaki (JPN) bt Yashaswini Ghorpade 11-3, 11-5, 11-9; Sutirtha Mukherjee bt Suhana Saini 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8.
Men’s doubles: AN Jaehyun & Cho Seungmin bt Sharath & Sathiyan 11-6, 11-7, 7-11, 11-8; Bastian Rembert & Jules Rolland (FRA) bt Manush Shah & S. Snehit 11-8, 11-13, 11-3, 11-7; Harmeet Desai & Manav Thakkar bt Jeet Chandra & Ronit Bhanja 9-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 11-5.
Women’s doubles: Cheng I-Ching & Li Yu-Jhun (TPE) bt Sreeja & Diya Chitale 11-6, 11-4, 11-2; Kim Nayeong & Joo Chenohui (KOR) bt Suhana & Yashaswini 11-6, 11-4, 7-11, 11-7; Manika & Archana Kamath bt Zhu Chengzhu & Li Ching Wan (HKG) 8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 12-10; Linda Bergstrom & Christina Kallberg (SWE) bt Poymantee Baisya & Anannya Basak 11-6, 11-9, 11-7
Mixed doubles: Choi Hyojoo & Lee Sangsu (KOR) bt Archana & Manav 11-4, 11-8, 3-11, 11-3; Lebesson & Yuan Jian Nan (FRA) bt Suhana & Rosario 11-6, 12-10, 11-2, Manika & Sathiyan bt Yubin Shin & Lim Jonghoon (KOR) 11-7, 11-6, 3-11, 11-6.