WTT Star Contender in Chennai: Manav Thakkar's historic run ends in semis

Manav Thakkar’s historic run at the WTT Star Contender 2025 in Chennai ended on Sunday (March 30) as he lost in the men’s singles semifinals.

On Saturday, Manav became the first Indian to reach the last-four stage of a WTT Star Contender event.

The 24-year-old from Gujarat, who is India’s No. 1 male table tennis player, went down 1-3 (10-12, 9-11, 11-7, 7-11) to France’s Thibault Poret in 29 minutes in the semifinal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.

Manav garnered 210 WTT ranking points for reaching the semifinals and a prize money of $4,000 (Rs 3.42 lakh).

In the other semifinal of men’s singles, South Korea’s Oh Jun-sung defeated France’s Flavien Coton 3-0 (11-4, 12-10, 11-7).

Photos: Sharath Kamal retires; fans salute Indian TT legend

The women’s singles final will be an all-Japan affair as Miwa Harimoto and Honoka Hashimoto will face off. Harimoto beat Shin Yu-bin of South Korea 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 12-10) while Hashimoto triumphed over Kim Nayeong (South Korea) 3-0 (11-6, 11-2, 11-2).

WTT Star Contender 2025 will conclude on Sunday evening, with finals scheduled for men’s singles, women’s singles, and mixed doubles. The event boasts 600 ranking points for winners and a $275,000 prize purse, with top global paddlers in action.

All the action from Table 1 will be streamed live on SonyLiv and Tables 2, 3, and 4 on WTT’s official YouTube channel.

Results

Men’s Singles (Semifinals)

Oh Jun-sung (KOR) [12] beat Flavien Coton (FRA) 3-0: 11-4, 12-10, 11-7

Thibault Poret (FRA) beat Manav Thakkar (IND) 3-1: 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7

Women’s Singles (Semifinals)

Miwa Harimoto (JPN) [2] beat Shin Yu-bin (KOR) [4] 3-0: 11-8, 11-4, 12-10

Honoka Hashimoto (JPN) [13] beat Kim Nayeong (KOR) 3-0: 11-6, 11-2, 11-2