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The Hindu
30-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Goa Challengers begins its quest for hat-trick of titles
When Harmeet Desai led the Dempo Goa Challengers to a terrific triumph in Chennai last September, the team scripted history by becoming the first team to win two titles, and that too back-to-back, in Ultimate Table Tennis. As the franchise-based table tennis league returns for its sixth edition, Challengers would be gunning to register a hat-trick of triumphs. Challengers would begin their quest by taking on Ahmedabad SG Pipers, who will hope to see Amdavadis turn up to support it despite the IPL frenzy in town for the next four days. Pipers had a topsy-turvy campaign to its campaign in the last edition. Despite receiving a setback in Manika Batra's late pull-out due to a conspicuous injury, Pipers would be banking on Ayhika Mukherjee to grab the opportunity and Ricardo Walther to absorb the pressure against Harmeet & Co. 'To win it twice was thrilling last year. A hat-trick of titles — that too in my home state — will be an incredible achievement. We know how challenging and competitive UTT is, but we are confident Goa Challengers can repeat history,' Harmeet told The Hindu on Friday. Manika's injury has increased the list of prominent Indian absentees. A. Sharath Kamal hung up his boots in March while Manush Shah, the defending men's singles National champion, and Manav Thakkar have preferred their pro commitments over UTT. The leading Indians' absence, though, will mean rising stars like Payas Jain, Akash Pal and SFR Snehit will have an opportunity to prove their mettle under pressure. The fact that Fan Siqi will become the first Chinese paddler in the UTT arena when she dons the Chennai Lions' yellows indicates the growing acceptance of the league in the global arena. Saturday's fixtures: Jaipur Patriots vs. Dabang Delhi T.T.C. (5 p.m.); Ahmedabad SG Pipers vs. Dempo Goa Challengers (7.30 p.m.)
India Gazette
20-05-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
World Table Tennis Championships Finals: Manika, Manav, Diya's defeats end India's challenge in singles event
Doha [Qatar], May 20 (ANI): India's star paddler Manika Batra crashed out of the World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2025 after enduring a defeat against the Republic of Korea's Ga-Hyeon Park in her women's round of 64 match in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday. Manika, ranked 46 globally, ousted Nigeria's Fatimo Bello in her opening round fixture. However, she suffered a 4-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8) defeat against Ga-Hyeon Park in the next match. The 144th-ranked paddler trounced Manika in a fixture that lasted for just over 35 minutes. Meanwhile, Diya Chitale lost against the three-time Olympian Cheng I-Ching of Chinese Taipei in the round of 64. Chitale crashed out of the tournament after finding herself on the back foot in the opening three games. After losing the first three games, Chitale bounced back in the fourth game. She threatened to come back after showing signs of a spirited comeback; however, Cheng closed out the win with a victory in the fifth game and moved to the next round with a 4-1 (11-3, 11-7, 11-6, 6-11, 11-5) triumph. Coming to the men's singles event, Manav Thakkar fought with valiance, but it wasn't enough to confirm his spot in the next round. He walked out of the World Table Tennis Championships Finals after losing to Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto. World No. 49 Thakkar made Harimoto, who is fourth in the men's singles table tennis rankings, toil hard for the victory. Manav saved two game points in the opener and even won the third and fifth games, hinting at a potential upset. However, Manav's effort went in vain as he lost by 4-2 (13-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3) against the Japanese paddler, who is a team bronze medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Following defeats for Manika Batra, Diya Chitale, and Manav Thakkar, India's singles campaign at the World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2025 came to a bitter end. Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade, ranked 16th, will return to action and compete against the world No.6 Japanese pair of Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara in the women's doubles round of 16 match on Wednesday. (ANI)
United News of India
19-05-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Manika, Manav in second round at World TT Championships
Doha, May 18 (UNI) Former Commonwealth Games champion Manika Batra breezed into the second round of the women's singles event at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2025 here on Sunday. World No. 46 Manika outclassed Nigeria's Fatimo Bello, ranked 89th, in straight games 4-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-8, 11-2) in her opening round match. The Indian ace will next face Park Gahyeon, the 17-year-old prodigy from the Republic of Korea. In men's singles, India's top-ranked player Manav Thakkar (world No. 49) also made a strong start, defeating New Zealand's Timothy Choi 4-1 (11-3, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 14-12) to progress to the round of 64. However, teenager Ankur Bhattacharjee suffered an early exit. The 18-year-old went down 1-4 (11-4, 7-11, 9-11, 10-12, 8-11) to Hong Kong China's Lam Siu Hang, ranked 129th. In mixed doubles, Manush Shah and Diya Chitale, the WTT Contender Tunis champions, eased past Algeria's Mehdi Bouloussa and Malissa Nasri with a 3-0 (11-2, 11-7, 11-6) victory to advance to the second round. Meanwhile, in men's doubles, the experienced pair of Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran fell short against Austria's Maciej Kolodziejczyk and Moldova's Vladislav Ursu, losing 1-3 (9-11, 12-10, 14-16, 10-12) in a closely-fought encounter. Desai's mixed doubles campaign also ended in disappointment. Partnering Yashaswini Ghorpade, the Indian duo let slip a 2-0 lead and three match points to lose 2-3 (11-8, 11-6, 10-12, 8-11, 10-12) against France's Thibault Poret and Leana Hochart. Later in the day, Poret will face Sathiyan in the men's singles round of 128, while Yashaswini is set to meet France's Jia Nan Yuan in the women's singles draw. UNI BDN RN
The Hindu
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Manav and Manika win; Ankur loses
Manav Thakkar and Manika Batra scripted wins in the men's and women's singles first round of the World table tennis championships in Doha on Sunday. Manav, India's top-ranked male paddler, outlasted New Zealand's Timothy Choi 11-3, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 14-12. Manika beat Fatimo Bello of Nigeria 11-5, 11-6, 11-8, 11-2 to progress to the second round. The results (first round): Men: Singles: Manav Thakkar bt Timothy Choi (Nzl) 11-3, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 14-12; Lam Siu Hang (Hkg) bt Ankur Bhattacharjee 4-11, 11-7, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8; Doubles: Maciej Kolodziejczyk (Aut) & Vladislav Ursu (Mda) bt Harmeet Desai & G. Sathiyan 11-9, 10-12, 16-14, 12-10. Women: Singles: Manika Batra bt Fatimo Bello (Ngr) 11-5, 11-6, 11-8, 11-2. Mixed doubles: Manush Shah & Diya Chitale bt Mehdi Bouloussa & Malissa Nasri (Alg) 11-2, 11-7, 11-6; Thibault Poret & Leana Hochart (Fra) bt Harmeet Desai & Yasashwini Ghorpade 8-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-8, 12-10.
