After securing their Singles berth for Tokyo Olympics, Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra also qualified in Mixed Doubles for Tokyo after a big win at the Asian Olympic Qualification.
The Indian pair who were second ranked in the event defeated World No. 5 South Korean pair of Sang-Su Lee and Jihee Jeon 4-2 in the finals to book their ticket to Tokyo in Mixed Doubles. The Indian pair turned the tables when they won six consecutive points in the third game to script a great comeback win.
After the historic win, Sharath Kamal emphasised the win calling it one of the greatest in Mixed Doubles. “I can tell you this is nothing short of phenomenal,” Kamal said in an official media release. “It is one of the biggest victories for Manika and me. I have been sleepless since 5 am in the morning and was under a lot of pressure as this was our only shot to qualify for the Olympics.”
“We started off with two losses but this victory against such top-ranked players will surely give us the confidence and belief of being strong medal contenders for the Tokyo Games,” he added.
The 38-year-old was also mightily impressed with his partner, Manika Batra. She controlled the tempo of the game and allowed Kamal to play his natural attacking shots with complete freedom. He felt that the tight five game changed the course of the match.
“Manika was really fantastic and that helped me as I had the liberty to be a lot more creative and play attacking shots. And when I play like that, I am really dangerous. She is a great reader of the game and has played some exceptional table tennis in the last two days,” Kamal added.
With the ranking of 63, Manika Batra is the highest ranked Indian Women’s player and she was delighted with the way things turned out and how she could manage to keep top paddlers like Jihee Jeon and Lee Sang-Su quiet.
“I was really happy with myself to be able to withstand the attack and services of a player like Lee Sang Su and Jin Jihee. Sharath Bhaiya capitalised well with his attack to keep the pressure on them . I am very happy that along with singles we could even make it in maiden mixed doubles by beating the Korean and Singapore pair,” she said.
This will be the first time that a Table Tennis Mixed Doubles event will be happening at the Olympics therefore it is a historic feat for Indian and for both the players. Apart from that Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra, Gnanasekaran Sathiyan and Sutirtha Mukherjee have already booked their tickets for the Tokyo Olympics in the Singles category.
