Commonwealth
Game gold medallist Manika Batra, on Thursday, won the Senior National Table
Tennis defeating Reeth Rishya by 4-2 in the women’s singles final, clinching
the title for the second time. The star table tennis player represents Petroleum
Sports Promotion Board (PSPB).

Manika, who is
the top ranked female table tennis player in India, made a stellar comeback after
losing the first two games.

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Women’s single
runner-up, Reeth, who also represents PSPB, missed the beat in the third game,
bettering the form in the fourth game by maintaining a lead of 9-3. Manika then
had to level up with eight to level bring up the score. Once the score card
leveled, Manika took over the game putting Reeth on defensive as she Reeth
struggled to maintain the lead.

The fifth game was
a one-sided one as Manika pushed Reeth into a completely defensive mode. Suddenly,
the attacking posture of Reeth deserted her and she looked like an ordinary
player.

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It was clever of
Manika to change her strategy when Reeth was attacking in the second game which
the latter won on extended points. The defence of Reeth could not be
comprehended and too many net errors in the crucial stages also cost Reeth the
chance of becoming the national champion.

Reeth lost the
opportunity to avenge her title defeat at the Institutional Championships in
2019. There too, Reeth had let the crown slip off her hands after handsomely
leading 3-1 in the final.