Manika outsmarts 30th-ranked Matilda in UTT final

India's golden girl Manika Batra put Dabang Smashers in command with a fluent 3-0 victory over World No. 30 Matilda Ekholm in the CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis here today.

Yoshida Masaki extended Smashers lead with a 2-1 victory against Sanil Shetty as they led 5-1 after the first two matches. The team that earns 11 points first will be crowned champions.

The 23-year-old Manika downed Ekholm 11-8, 11-10, 11-9 for another winning start for Smashers, like she has done all season. The 2018 Commonwealth Games double gold medallist dominated her Swedish opponent, who got a yellow card for venting her frustration by smashing the ball on a couple of occasions.

 

It was the second time Manika, ranked World No. 80, had upstaged the higher-ranked Matilda. She won 2-1 in the league match last month which the Smashers had won 17-4.

The winners will earn Rs 1 crore while the runners-up will be richer by Rs 75 lakh.