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The Indian table tennis duo of Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah has made significant progress in the latest ITTF rankings, jumping five spots to 11th in the men’s doubles category. Their remarkable performance at the recently concluded China Smash tournament played a pivotal role in their rise.
The pair’s strong showing in Beijing, including a quarterfinal appearance, reflects their growth on the international stage.
The eighth-seeded Indian duo began their China Smash journey with a bye in the opening round, giving them a direct entry into the second round. In the second round, they faced the Chilean team of Nicolas Burgos and Gustavo Gomez and secured a 3-1 victory, with scores of 16-14, 8-11, 11-7, and 11-8.
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However, their impressive run was halted by the fourth-seeded Chinese pair of Liang Jingkun and Wang Chuqin. The eventual champions defeated Manav and Manush 3-1 in the quarterfinals. The Indians put up a fight but ultimately lost with scores of 5-11, 2-11, 11-8, and 7-11, bringing their campaign to an end.
Mixed fortunes for Indian singles players in latest ITTF rankings
In the men's singles ITTF rankings, veteran paddler Sharath Kamal saw a drop in his ranking, falling four places to 42nd after his early exit in the first round at the China Smash.
Other Indian singles players also saw their rankings decline, with Manav slipping to 60th, G. Sathiyan to 68th, and Harmeet Desai dropping to 91st.
On the women's side, Sreeja Akula and Manika Batra also faced early exits, with both losing in the first round of their respective singles events. As a result, Sreeja dropped three spots to 26th, while Manika slipped one place to 29th in the latest ITTF rankings.
Amidst these setbacks, there was a bright spot for Indian women’s table tennis, as Yashaswini Ghorpade, who finished as runner-up at the WTT Feeder event in Doha, saw a significant boost in her ranking, jumping six places to 81st.
Encouraging movement in women’s doubles
In women’s doubles, the Indian pair of Ayhika Mukherjee and Sutirtha Mukherjee made a small but notable climb in the ITTF rankings. After reaching the Round of 16 in Beijing, they moved up one place to 15th.
The Indian table tennis contingent is currently competing at the Asian Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, this week. They will be looking to further improve their rankings and build on their recent performances.
