India exit ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2025 in group stage

NEW DELHI: India’s ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2025 campaign ended in disappointment as Manika Batra and Co. were eliminated in the group stage, losing all three matches in Chengdu, China.

India’s ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2025 campaign ended on Tuesday, as Manika Batra and Co. bowed out early after losing all three of their Stage 1 group matches in Chengdu, People’s Republic of China, according to Olympics.com.

India, drawn in Group 2, needed their campaign to end in disappointment, losing all three group matches to Japan, Australia, and Croatia and exiting the tournament in the first stage. This marks India’s third consecutive early exit from the tournament, having failed to advance beyond the group stage in all editions.

The opening tie of their campaign saw the Indian table tennis players beaten 8-6 by Croatia. Olympian Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Diya Chitale lost the first mixed doubles tie 2-1 against Ivor Ban and Hana Arapovic before Manika Batra was beaten 2-1 by Lea Rakovac in the women’s singles.

In a valiant effort, India’s Manav Thakkar put up a fight but ultimately lost 3-0 to Croatia’s Tomislav Pucar in the men’s singles. Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade then stepped up, winning the women’s doubles 3-0, keeping India’s hopes alive. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Akash Pal initially gained the upper hand, winning the first game of the men’s doubles, but Croatia fought back to win the second game and secure the tie.

As per the tournament rules, each match is a race to three games, but the overall tie goes to the team which wins eight games first.

India’s second group match against Japan saw them go down 8-4 despite pulling off some upsets. After mixed doubles duo Yashaswini Ghorpade and Akash Pal lost the first match 3-0 against Shunsuke Togami and Miwa Harimoto, Olympian Manika Batra fought back from a game down to beat world No. 8 and Olympic medallist Mima Ito 2-1 (9-11, 11-8, 11-8).

Batra pulled off a stunning upset, defeating Japan’s Mima Ito, one of the world’s top players, in their singles match. Manav Thakkar followed up with a thrilling 2-1 win over Japan’s Sora Matsushima, ranked 8th in the world, winning 11-9, 11-4, 6-11.

However, a 3-0 loss for Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade to Mima Ito and Hina Hayata saw India suffer their second successive loss in the tournament.

India’s final Stage 1 match of the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup on Tuesday ended 8-5 in Australia’s favour.

Manav Thakkar and Swastika Ghosh won the opener 2-1 against Constantina Psihogios and Huwan Bae. But Yashaswini Ghorpade and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran suffered 2-1 defeats in the women’s and men’s singles, respectively, as Australia took the lead.

Another 2-1 loss for Batra and Chitale in the women’s doubles, followed by Payas Jain and Akash Pal losing the opening game of the men’s doubles rubber, ended the tie and brought down the curtains on India’s campaign. (ANI)