After losing 1-3 to Thibault Poret of France on Sunday, Manav Thakkar of India was eliminated from the 2025 WTT Star Contender in Chennai. Thakkar gave it his all in a thrilling and stressful game, but he struggled to find his rhythm against a flawless opponent.
The 20-year-old Frenchman gained the lead early in the match, and the young Indian star struggled despite the home crowd’s fervent encouragement. Both players traded points at the start of the match, but Poret soon took advantage of Thakkar’s mistakes to take the lead.
Despite his best efforts from the young Indian star, Poret’s consistent play proved too much, leading to a decisive victory that ended Thakkar’s run in the tournament. Manav lost to Poret 10-12, 9-11, 11-7, 7-11 in a match that just lasted over 29 minutes.
World No. 54 Thibault Poret had also defeated India’s Snehit Suravajjula in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
This defeat is particularly significant as Thakkar made history by becoming the first Indian male player to reach the semi-finals of a WTT event.
He had won 18 points in a row in the quarter-finals against world No 43 Lim Jong Hoon, while trailing 1-2 to force his way into the final four stage. Thakkar’s exit brings curtains down on India’s campaign at their home WTT Star Contender event.
In his final international tournament, Sharath Kamal, the nation’s greatest table tennis player, lost to Snehit in the Round of 16, capping off an incredible career.
This tournament’s final Indian competitor was Thakkar, who just celebrated being the country’s top-ranked men’s singles paddler. His achievements in the competition are now likely to propel him to a career-high global ranking.
Indian fans are optimistic about Thakkar’s bright future in table tennis as a result of his performance, which has drawn praise and attention.
