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Indian Table Tennis Stars Stumble in ITTF World Cup Opening Matches

Indian table tennis players Manika Batra and Manav Thakkar lost their opening group matches at the ITTF World Cup 2026. Batra fell to Japan's Miwa Harimoto, while Thakkar was defeated by South Korea's Park Gang-hyeon. Sreeja Akula begins her campaign against Olympic champion Wang Manyu of China. The tournament, featuring a $1 million prize pool, marks the sport's centenary year.

Key Points: ITTF World Cup: Manika Batra, Manav Thakkar Lose Openers

  • Manika Batra loses 3-0 to Miwa Harimoto
  • Manav Thakkar defeated by Park Gang-hyeon
  • Sreeja Akula faces world No. 2 Wang Manyu
  • Historic $1M prize pool in centenary year
2 min read

ITTF World Cup: Manika, Thakkar lose opening group matches

Manika Batra and Manav Thakkar suffer defeats in their opening group matches at the ITTF World Cup 2026. Follow India's campaign.

"Manika Batra will face Olympian Lily Zhang... in her final group stage match on Tuesday. - Report"

Monaco, March 30

Indian table tennis players made a disappointing start in the ITTF World Cup 2026 with both Manika Batra and Manav Thakkar losing their respective opening group matches on Monday.

Manika Batra, 47th in the world rankings, lost 3-0 (18-16, 11-4, 11-6) to Japan's Miwa Harimoto in Group 4 of women's singles, while Asian Games medallist Manav Thakkar went down 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-8) to Park Gang-hyeon of South Korea.

Manika Batra will face Olympian Lily Zhang, ranked 42nd, of the USA in her final group stage match on Tuesday. Manav, however, faces an uphill battle in his final group game, which will be against world No. 2 and Olympic silver medallist Truls Moregardh of Sweden.

The tournament introduces best-of-five games for Stage 1 group matches, a notable change from previous editions. The 48 players in each draw are divided into 16 groups of three, with the 16 group winners advancing to the Stage 2 knockout draw, where matches are played as best-of-seven games as players compete for the historic Evans and Hammarlund Cups.

World No. 44 Sreeja Akula will begin her campaign with a tough draw against Olympic gold medallist and world No. 2 Wang Manyu of China.

No Indian table tennis player has ever won a medal at the ITTF World Cup. Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula competed in the 2025 edition of the tournament but failed to make it past the group stage.

Running from March 30 to April 5, the world's finest table tennis players are competing for a USD 1 million prize pool. In this centenary year for the sport, the World Cup takes on added significance as table tennis celebrates 100 years since the ITTF's foundation in 1926.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
The draw seems incredibly tough for all our players. Sreeja facing the Olympic champion in her first match? Manav against world No. 2? The grouping feels unlucky. The federation needs to ensure our players get more exposure to this level of competition regularly.
P
Priya S
It's disappointing, but we must be realistic. China, Japan, Korea dominate this sport. Our players are improving, but the gap is still huge. We need more academies, better coaches from these countries, and a stronger domestic circuit. The journey is long.
R
Rohit P
Manika, chin up! You've made us proud so many times. One bad day doesn't define you. All the best for the match against Lily Zhang. Go for the win! 🏓 We are watching and supporting from India.
V
Vikram M
The article mentions no Indian has ever won a medal here. That's the real story. When will we break this ceiling? Other sports like badminton and wrestling have done it. Table tennis needs a systemic push. SAI and TTFI must have a concrete roadmap.
K
Karthik V
The pressure of representing India on such a big stage is immense. We as fans should criticize less and support more. They are trying their best against giants of the sport. Let's hope Sreeja can pull off a surprise against Wang Manyu! 🤞

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