WTT Contender Muscat 2022 | Manika Batra in women's singles quarters, India assured of three doubles medals
Manika Batra advanced to the quarterfinals of the women's singles event at the WTT Contender Muscat 2022 on Thursday, while Archana Kamath and Manav Thakkar reached the final of the mixed doubles. In round of 16, Batra defeated Romania's Bernadette Szocs, the world No. 23, 3-0 (11-3, 13-11, 11-8).
Archana Kamath, on the other hand, lost 0-3 (11-9, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9) against Tokyo Olympian Xiaoxin Yang of Monaco in the same level of the women's singles tournament. On Thursday, Kamath and partner Manav Thakkar had a terrific run in mixed doubles at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Oman.
In the quarterfinals, Kamath-Thakkar defeated Brazil's Vitor Ishiy and Bruna Takahashi 3-2 (11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 13-11, 11-8) before defeating Hungary's Nandor Ecseki and Leila Imre in the semis. Ecseki and Imre, who had eliminated out India's top-ranked pair of G Sathiyan and Manika Batra in the quarterfinals, were defeated by Kamath and Thakkar 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-5).
In the women's doubles event, Indian players also fared well. Sutirtha Mukherjee and her partner Ayhika Mukherjee, who shocked the competition’s top seeds on Wednesday, were given a walkover against Zdena Blaskova and Katerina Tomanovska of the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals.
The Mukherjee’s will face fellow Indians Sreeja Akula and Selena Selvakumar in the semis after they defeated Singaporeans Goi Rui Xuan and Wong Xin Ru 3-1 (13-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-7) in the quarterfinals.
India is guaranteed at least three medals at the Muscat tournament, including a gold or silver in mixed doubles and a bronze and at least a silver in women's doubles, based on Thursday's results. Bronze medals are awarded to semi-finalists who lose in WTT competitions.
If Manika Batra advances in singles, she can contribute to the total. However, India's effort in the men's doubles was cut short in the quarter-finals by Chinese Taipei's Peng Wang-Wei and Chuang Chih-Yuan.