Table tennis: On the day Sharath Kamal bows out, young Manav Thakkar creates a slice of hory for Indian TT with stunning win | Sport-others News

In a moment of poetic symmetry, on the day 42-year-old legend Achanta Sharath Kamal bid farewell to international table tennis at the WTT Star Contender in Chennai, 24-year-old Manav Thakkar stepped up to carve his name into the hory books. The youngster became the first Indian men’s player to reach the semifinals of a WTT Star Contender event, achieving the best-ever result an Indian in any World Table Tennis tournament tier.And it was a stunning victory, too. Facing World No. 43 Lim Jonghoon in the quarterfinals, Manav found himself on the brink of elimination, trailing 1-2 in the match and 2-6 in the fourth game. What followed was nothing short of extraordinary. In a blering turnaround, the Surat lad rattled off 18 straight points, clinching the fourth game 11-6 and storming to a jaw-dropping 9-0 lead in Game 5 before winning it 11-1.
As Sharath bowed out earlier in the day, losing his Round of 16 match 0-3 (9-11, 8-11, 9-11) to 24-year-old Snehit Suravajjula — one of the many Indian paddlers who grew up idolising him — it became clear that he’s leaving the sport in safe hands.
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Stunning comeback
Reflecting on his win, Manav told The Indian Express that he had had close encounters with Jonghoon previously and knew he could find a way. “Both times, I had match points and still lost. The last time, I was up 2-0 and 8-2 in Bangkok before the Olympics, and I still lost,” he said.
Things were looking bleak for Manav at the start when Jonghoon seemed to be running away with it. “He was playing at such a high level, and I couldn’t find a way in. When I was down 2-6 in the fourth game, I decided to change the pace. I started playing much faster, giving him no time to think, and suddenly, the momentum shifted,” he explained. “At 9-0 in the fifth set, I was just locked into playing fast and aggressive. When I reached match point at 10-1, that’s when it hit me — I was about to win.”
The Lebrun effect
Manav’s transformation in the match wasn’t accidental, it was the result of training alongside some of the world’s best. Over the past few years, he has honed his game in the French league, playing for the Montpellier club alongside the Lebrun brothers, Felix and Alexis, two of the most exciting young players in world table tennis.
“What I did today — from 2-1 down — I’ve seen the Lebruns do all the time,” Manav said. “Playing fast, giving the opponent no time to react. I never felt fully comfortable doing it myself before, but when I was struggling, I thought, ‘Why not try it?’ And it worked.”Story continues below this ad
Felix, now a Paris Olympic bronze medal, and Alexis are known for their high-speed, relentless style. Training with them has pushed Manav to embrace that aggressive mindset. “When they thrash me in training, I feel terrible. But it motivates me. I don’t just want to keep up with them — I want to reach their level.”
Manav spends almost three to four months a year training with the Montpellier club and competing in France. As his world rankings are set to receive a huge boost with this performance, he hopes to increase his training stints there while also balancing his time between international tournaments and training camps in India.
Next gen stepping up
Sharath’s retirement on Saturday sure marks the end of an era, but the next generation of Indian paddlers are already stepping up.“There’s a strong bench strength, and I know I’m leaving the game in safe hands,” Sharath said.
Manav said training together with the Indian group has helped everyone lift their game. “A strong training group is crucial,” Manav explained. “We have regular training camps. Even before this tournament, we had intense training camps in Sweden and Bangalore. When all of us train together, we push each other. It creates a competitive but supportive environment. It is Sharath bhaiya who has to be credited for creating this competitive yet supportive environment.”Story continues below this ad
The camaraderie has been translating into results. In Chennai, a number of them had impressive wins, with Snehit and Harmeet securing notable results. “When one of us does well, it motivates the others to step up. We don’t want to just participate, we want to dominate,” Manav added.

Up next for Manav is a semifinal clash against World No. 54 Thibault Poret, who earlier defeated Snehit in the quarterfinals. Having trained alongside the French paddler in the league, Manav knows exactly what to expect. “I’ve played against him before, and I know his game well. He’s beaten other Indians in this tournament, and I’d love to be the one to stop him.”