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India's Table Tennis Campaign Ends in Round of 32 at World Championships

India's campaign at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships 2026 ended in the round of 32 in London. The men's team suffered a 3-0 defeat against Austria, while the women's team lost 3-1 to the United States. Despite strong group stage performances, the knockout stage proved too challenging for both teams. The championships will conclude on May 10.

Key Points: India Knocked Out of ITTF World Championships 2026

  • India's men's team lost 3-0 to Austria
  • Women's team lost 3-1 to USA
  • Manush Shah narrowly lost 3-2 to Robert Gardos
  • Manika Batra won her singles match but team lost
  • Both teams topped their groups in Stage 1
2 min read

Team India knocked out in Round of 32 at ITTF World Table Tennis Championships

Team India exits ITTF World Table Tennis Championships 2026 after men's and women's teams lose in round of 32 to Austria and USA in London.

"This close defeat was crucial, as India found it difficult to recover afterwards. - Report on Manush Shah's loss"

London, May 6

India's campaign at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships 2026 ended disappointingly as both the men's and women's teams lost in the round of 32 at the OVO Arena Wembley in London. The Indian men's team faced a 3-0 defeat against Austria, while the women's team lost 3-1 to the United States. This marked the end of what had been promising runs in the group stages.

In the men's match, World No. 51 Manush Shah fought hard in the first game but narrowly lost 3-2 (6-11, 11-7, 11-3, 8-11, 13-11) to Olympian Robert Gardos. This close defeat was crucial, as India found it difficult to recover afterwards.

World No. 39 Manav Thakkar lost 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-6) to Daniel Habesohn. Olympian Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, ranked 42nd, also lost in straight games, 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-9), to Andreas Levenko. Austria comfortably secured the tie.

Despite the early exit, the Indian men showed strong form in the group stage. They topped their Stage 1 B group with dominant 3-0 wins against Tunisia and Guatemala, and a comeback victory over Slovakia to move on to the knockout phase.

The women's team entered the round of 32 with confidence after leading their group, but found the Americans too strong that day. World No. 61 Yashaswini Ghorpade lost 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-7) to Sally Moyland in the first match.

India responded with Olympian Manika Batra, ranked 48th, levelling the tie with a 3-1 (11-2, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4) win over Jessica Reyes Lai.

However, the momentum did not last. Diya Chitale, ranked 95th, lost 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 13-11) to Lily Zhang. Batra returned for the crucial fourth match but fell 3-1 (10-12, 11-9, 11-3, 13-11) to Moyland, sealing India's exit.

Earlier, the Indian women impressed by topping their Stage 1 B group with wins over Ukraine, Uganda, and Rwanda to reach the knockout stage.

A total of 64 teams competed in the championships, divided into 16 groups, with the top two from each moving on to Stage 2. While India showed promise in the initial phase, the knockout stage proved too challenging this time.

First held as a standalone event in 2000, these prestigious championships will conclude on May 10.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Disappointing but let's not forget that Sathiyan and Manika have been our stars for years now. Diya Chitale showed promise too. The gap between us and the top nations is still there, but we're getting closer. Need more training camps and maybe foreign coaches? 🤔
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Aditya G
The group stage performance was excellent – topping both groups shows we have the skill. But knockout matches are a different beast altogether. Manush's 5-game loss was the turning point. If he'd won that, the momentum could have shifted. 🇮🇳 Slight progress from last year, but we need to start winning these close matches.
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Sarah B
From the UK here – Wembley is a great venue but tough for Indian fans to see our team lose here. The women's team fought back well but Lily Zhang and Sally Moyland were too strong on the day. Manika Batra's win over Reyes Lai was brilliant though! Onwards and upwards. 🔥
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Michael C
Honest assessment – our players are ranked 40-60 but to beat top teams you need players in top 20-30. Manush's close loss shows he's close but Habesohn straight-sets defeat to Manav Thakkar is concerning. More investment in grassroots and youth tournaments needed. Table tennis is growing in India though! 🏓
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Neha E
I remember when we used to dream of even making it to the knockout stage. Now we're consistently reaching round of 32. Are we satisfied with that? No. But the progress is real. Diya Chitale, Yashaswini Ghorpade – these young girls are the future. Give them time

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