Monaco, March 30: Indian table tennis players had a disappointing start at the ITTF World Cup 2026. Both Manika Batra and Manav Thakkar lost their opening group matches on Monday.
Manika Batra, ranked 47th in the world, faced Japan’s Miva Harimoto in Group 4 of the women’s singles and lost 3-0 (18-16, 11-4, 11-6). Meanwhile, Asian Games medalist Manav Thakkar was defeated by South Korea’s Park Gang-hyeon with a score of 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-8).
On Tuesday, Manika Batra will compete against American Olympian Lily Zhang, who is ranked 42nd, in her final group stage match. However, Manav will face a tough challenge against Sweden’s world number 2 and Olympic silver medalist Truls Moregard in his last group match.
This tournament features a ‘best-of-five’ game format for Stage 1 group matches, marking a significant change from previous editions. The 48 players are divided into 16 groups of three, with the 16 group winners advancing to Stage 2’s knockout draw, where matches are played in a ‘best-of-seven’ format. Players are competing for the historic Evans and Hammerlund Cup.
World number 44, Shrija Akula, will also begin her campaign with a challenging match against China’s Olympic gold medalist and world number 2, Wang Manyu.
No Indian table tennis player has ever won a medal at the ITTF World Cup. Both Manika Batra and Shrija Akula participated in the 2025 edition but did not progress beyond the group stage.
Running from March 30 to April 5, this tournament features the world’s top table tennis players competing for a prize pool of 1 million US dollars.
My name is Narendra Jijhontiya. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including TECHNOLOGY, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
Leave a Comment