At 8-8 in the first game, Manika Batra seemed to pause for a second. There was a slight shake of the head and then that intense concentration.
She seemed determined to not let the game slip away. After every point, a customary look back at her coach, and make no mistake, it was so very different from Tokyo. Four years earlier, it was Manika alone in the TT hall with yours truly being the only Indian support cast for her, in the absence of acoach in her corner. In contrast, the Austrian she was up against had multiple coaches to help out.
Paris, however, is different. Manika is in a much better state mentally, and with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) allowing personal coaches to travel, she seems settled as well. It showed, as she took out Prithika Pravade of France 4-0 in what eventually turned out to be a one–sided encounter.
In fact, once Manika won the first game, it all seemed to fall in place. From 5-5 in the second, it was all Manika. Each time Prithika tried to be aggressive and push the backhand top spinto unsettle her, Manika made sure she was ready with the block. And the moment she was able to block a couple of backhand jabs, the 12th seed seemed to crumble. The number of enforced errors started to grow and the home crowd turned into pressure for the local favourite.
Manika seemed to thrive in all of it. Pumping her fists at every point, she was enjoying the challenge and by the time the third game was done, there was only one outcomepossible. Yes, Prithika tried a late rally and managed to get a few points in a row, but by then, the match was all done and dusted. Manika had taken control and just needed a point to close things out.
We don’t know how deep she will go into the tournament. But what we do know is she is well capable and even better prepared. This win will add to her confidence and help her scale peaks that no Indian has ever done. In fact, by making the round of 16, she has already achieved a very credible first.
May I also say that the Manika news at the end of the day was a welcome one and made for some cheer in an otherwise underwhelming day for the Indian sports fan.