Mumbai, May 10: Manika Batra’s memorable run at Saudi Smash ended with a loss to World No. 5 Hina Hayata in the quarterfinals in Jeddah on Thursday.
Japan’s Hayata beat World No. 39 Manika 4-1 (7-11, 11-6, 11-4, 13-11, 11-2) in 39 minutes to reach the semifinals.
Manika had recently lost her status as the top-ranked Indian female to Sreeja Akula but the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist is set to become India No. 1 again following her run in Jeddah.