Manika Batra became the first Indian table tennis player to reach the singles pre-quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics 2024, winning a commanding 4-0 match against Prithika Pavade, world number 18. Manika gave a brilliant performance, winning the match with scores of 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, and 11-7. The achievement is significant for the player as it surpasses her previous best at the Tokyo Olympics, where she reached the round of 32.
After her match, Manika expressed her joy and mentioned, "I am happy that I beat a French player in Paris. I defeated a higher-ranked player. I did not think of creating history and making the pre-quarters, there are more rounds, I will take it match by match and give my best as I always do." She continued, "I had planned to play to her forehand as discussed with my coach but I was getting points on her backhand, so I did not change the tactics. I did play a few shots on her forehand too, I did not want her to think that I am playing only on her backhand."
In the first game, Manika and Prithika gave tough competition, but Manika secured a win with a forehand drive. Manika carried forward the win during the second game, taking a 3-1 lead. Prithika fought back to level the scores, however, in the third game, Manika continued to attack her backhand side, eventually winning the match in 37 minutes. Manika Batra took a 10-5 lead in the fourth game and won the match in the final.
