Manika Batra became the first Indian to win the women's singles gold medal at the Commonwealth Games ©Getty Images

Manika Batra became the first Indian to win the women's singles gold medal at the Commonwealth Games as she dispatched Singapore's Yu Mengyu in four games in the final at Gold Coast 2018 today.

Batra, the world number 58, first beat defending champion Feng Tianwei in a repeat of the result which helped India to the team title here last week.

The Indian star then comfortably overcame Yu, who won the women's doubles crown with Feng yesterday, 11-7, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7.

"The experience was amazing - I defeated the world number four earlier today and now YU to win gold," said Batra. 

"I am feeling really happy from inside and very proud for my country."

Feng recovered from the shock semi-final loss by beating Mo Zhang of Canada 11-2, 11-7, 5-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-3.

England’s doubles pairing of Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford beat India’s Sharath Achanta and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran to win after a superb and fluctuating encounter that went the distance.

They briefly stuttered mid-match but finished strongly to win 11-5, 10-12, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8.

‘’I was stressed and I didn’t handle it well," said Drinkhall.

"I missed a few easy balls and knew I had to pick it up. 

"Liam kept it very level.’’

England’s doubles pairing of Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford beat India’s Sharath Achanta and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran ©Getty Images
England’s doubles pairing of Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford beat India’s Sharath Achanta and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran ©Getty Images

It was a tough day for India’s Achanta as he’d played three times in the twelve hours and lost every time.

Achanta's team-mates Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shetty took bronze by beating Pang Yew En Koen and Poh Shao Feng Ethan of Singapore 11-5, 11-6, 12-10.

Earlier in the day in the Para table tennis, Australia’s Melissa Tapper beat Faith Obazuaye 7-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-3 to win the TT6-10 women’s final in less than 20 minutes.

Bronze was claimed by Tapper's compatriot Andrea McDonnell, who ousted England's Felicity Pickard 11-2, 11-6, 11-3.

"The thrill that you get from playing in front of a home crowd, jeez that would keep me playing for another 50 years," said Tapper.

England’s Ross Wilson, who won Paralympic bronze in London 2012, beat his compatriot and room-mate Kim Daybell in the men’s TT6-10 final.

‘’It’s a bit different going into a match against someone you train with all the time, it is strange but you have just got to try your best to go into the game in the same way as you would against anybody else," Wilson said.

‘’To be Commonwealth Games champion is something I never really dreamed of; well it is actually it is something I always dreamed of, but it is something I never thought was possible."

Joshua Stacey of Wales made sure of bronze, defeating Theo Cogill of South Africa 8-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-13, 11-8.