Manika Batra is first Indian TT player to reach Olympics round of 16

Manika Batra made history on Monday by becoming the first Indian table tennis player to reach the round of 16 in the Olympic Games singles competition.

She achieved this milestone with a 4-0 victory over higher-ranked Prithika Pavade of France at the Paris Olympics.

The 29-year-old, who won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, defeated the 19-year-old Pavade with scores of 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7.

Pavade's parents originally hailed from Puducherry before moving to France in 2003.

In the Tokyo Olympics, Manika became the first Indian women's table tennis player to reach the round of 32 in singles. This year, she surpassed that achievement by reaching the round of 16.

Achanta Sharath Kamal also reached the round of 32 in men's singles in the Tokyo Olympics.

Manika is currently ranked 28th in the world, ten places lower than Pavade.

(With PTI inputs)