VIJAYAWADA: An 18-year-old novice table tennis player from Mumbai, Anannya Basak, went on to turn the tables on the two-time gold medallist Manika Batra during the very first round in the 11 Sports National Ranking (South Zone) championship at Dandamudi Rajagopala Rao Municipal Indoor Stadium (DRRMC) stadium on Monday.
The daughter of Kanchan Basak and Arup Basak, both former national table tennis players, and a recent recruit of Dena Bank, Anannya knocked out the world number 56, Commonwealth 2014 gold medallist and ASIAD mixed doubles bronze medal winner, within 40 minutes in a thrilling 11-4, 5-11, 11-9, 12-10 game.
However, the surprises did not end there. Higher-ranked players like Krittwika Sinha Roy, Ayhika Mukherjee, and Madhurika Patkar were also beaten by Shanmathi Sathiyan of Tamil Nadu (6-11, 11-7,11-8,11-8,11-8), Maria Rony of Canara Bank (12-10, 11-6, 11-9, 11-8), and Surbhi Patwari of West Bengal (11-7,11-7,11-9,8-11,11-9) respectively, making it a day for the underdogs.
Results
Women Singles (1st round): Anannya Basak (Dena Bank) bt Manika Batra (PSPB) 11-4, 5-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8; Surabhi Patwari (WB) bt Madhurika Patkar (PSPB) 11-7, 11-7, 11-9, 8-111, 11-9; Sathyan Shanmathi (TN) bt Sina Roy Krittwika (WB) 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8; Rony Maria (Canara Bank) bt Ayhika Mukherjee (RBI) 12-10, 11-6, 11-9, 11-8; Divya Deshpande (PSPB) bt Vanishka Bhargava (DLI) 3-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9; Sutir Mukherjee (HRN) bt Josha Eesha (MHR) 11-6, 11-5, 11-8, 11-2
Hopes crashed
Preceding Manika Batra’s defeat against Anannya Basak, her coach Sandeep Gupta told TNIE that he was hoping for his student to continue her winning-streak and bag an Olympic gold to bring pride to the nation