New Delhi, October 27: Manika Batra’s historic run at the WTT Champions in Montpellier, France, concluded in the quarterfinals with a loss to China’s World No. 21, Qian Tianyi. Ranked World No. 30, Manika fell 8-11, 8-11, 10-12 but made history as the first Indian player to reach the quarterfinals of a WTT Champions event, a top-tier series featuring the world’s elite 32 players and offering significant rewards.

Manika’s journey started positively with a 3-0 win over USA’s Lily Zhang, followed by a thrilling 3-1 victory over World No. 14, Bernadette Szocs of Romania, in the pre-quarterfinals. However, against the fast-paced Qian, Manika's defensive tactics lacked penetration, leading to her exit in straight games in the quarterfinals.

India’s top-ranked player, Sreeja Akula, ranked No. 25, also faced an early setback and went down 2-3 in the first-round match against Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz, ranked No. 13.

With no men in the fray, the Indian campaign ended.