In a surprising turn of events, the Indian table tennis duo, currently positioned 18th in the global rankings, faced an unexpected defeat in the quarterfinals against a Malaysian pair ranked 153rd in the world. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra, representing India, were unable to secure a Paris 2024 quota during the World Mixed Doubles Table Tennis Olympic Qualification tournament held in Havirov, Czechia.
Their defeat came at the hands of Malaysia’s Javen Choong and Karen Lyne, who outplayed them with a score of 4-1 (11-9, 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8). Despite being seeded eighth, Sathiyan and Batra received a bye in the round of 16 but couldn’t capitalize on their advantage in the quarterfinals.
This tournament marked their second and final opportunity to secure an Olympic quota after facing a quarter-final loss in the initial knockout round. In their previous match, they were defeated 4-1 (7-11, 10-12, 11-9, 6-11, 6-11) by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea pair Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, the 21st seeds.
Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong later emerged victorious in their bracket, earning a quota for their country at the Paris Olympics. Despite this setback, India had already secured quotas for the women’s and men’s teams based on rankings, which also granted two quotas each in the singles events for Indian players.
The Czechia event served as the final qualifying opportunity for the mixed doubles table tennis competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Additionally, quotas for the mixed doubles event in the Paris Olympics can also be obtained through rankings, with the five highest-ranked eligible pairs as of May 7, 2024, securing one quota each. Currently, Manika Batra and G. Sathiyan hold the 18th rank in the mixed doubles world ranking.
