Manav Thakkar impresses against 5-time Olympic champion Ma Long at Asian Table Tennis Championships

Manav Thakkar, the 23-year-old table tennis prodigy from Surat, India, squad off against the legendary Ma Long of China in a Round of 16 clash at the Asian Table Tennis Championships.

Despite encountering a 0-3 defeat, Manav left an everlasting impression, portraying his mettle versus one of the sport's finest players.

Ranked at 100, Manav depicted his nerves when he led 9-5 in the opening game but ultimately caved in to Long's amazing comeback, which ensured six back-to-back points.

In the subsequent game, the Indian had an 8-4 lead but couldn't sustain the required level of consistency versus the five-time Olympic gold medalist. Long's domination persisted into the third game, resulting in an 11-9, 12-10, 11-5 victory.

Talking about the experience, Manav said:

"It was a wonderful experience playing him ahead of the Asian Games. There were many learnings and many positives. I was a bit nervous in the beginning, but gained confidence as the strokes started landing. Many people were supporting me in the stands. In the end, I was able to match his level, but was not consistent enough. What stands out in great players like him is that they raise their game as the match progresses."

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Indian contingent's mixed fortunes at Asian Table Tennis Championships

Earlier in the day, Manav had given a notable performance by dethroning world number 33 Kao Cheng-Jui of South Korea with a scoreline of 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7. He thus confirmed his place in the pre-quarterfinals.

On a day when veteran Indian players G Sathiyan and Sharath Kamal encountered setbacks in the round of 32, Ayhika Mukherjee, ranked 170th, shone. She took Olympic bronze medalist Chen Xingtong of China to five exciting games in the women's singles round of 32.

After developing a 2-0 lead, Ayhika's stalwart effort became fruitless as Chen Xingtong came back to win 2-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-3.

In the men's doubles quarterfinals, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah encountered a tough challenge from the Chinese pair of Fan Zhendong and Lin Gaoyuan. The Indian pair went down 5-11, 3-11, 5-11.

Likewise, in the women's doubles, Ayhika and Sutirtha Mukherjee faced off a strong Chinese pairing, Wang Manyu and Chen Meng. The latter turned out triumphant with a score of 5-11, 11-13, 10-12 at the quarterfinal stage.

Despite these setbacks, the Indian men had earlier attained a bronze medal in the team event of the Asian Table Tennis Championships.