WTT Star Contender Chennai: Sharath Kamal's Heartfelt Goodbye and Manav Thakkar's Historic Achievement
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Synopsis
On March 29, 2025, Indian table tennis icon Sharath Kamal said an emotional farewell after losing to Snehit Suravajjula at WTT Star Contender Chennai. Meanwhile, Manav Thakkar made history by being the first Indian male player to reach the semifinals at this prestigious event.
Key Takeaways
- Sharath Kamal bids farewell to table tennis, marking the end of an era.
- Manav Thakkar reaches the semifinals, making history for Indian male players.
- South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon and An Jae-hyun win the Men’s Doubles title.
- Exciting Women’s Doubles Final sees Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara crowned champions.
- The tournament offers a total prize of USD 275,000 and important ranking points.
Chennai, March 29 (NationPress) Indian table tennis icon Sharath Kamal said an emotional goodbye to the sport after his loss to Snehit Suravajjula at the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 on Saturday. Earlier, Manav Thakkar, aged 24, made history by becoming the first Indian male player to reach the WTT Star Contender semifinals.
In a thrilling finale, South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon and An Jae-hyun claimed the Men’s Doubles title, triumphing over top seeds Tomokazu Harimoto and Sora Matsushima with a score of 3-1. The Women’s Doubles Final was equally exciting as Japan’s Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara edged past Shin Yu-bin and Ryu Hanna, finishing with a nail-biting 11-5 victory in the final game.
The WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 event is hosted by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). Participants are competing for 600 ranking points and a prize pool of USD 275,000, showcasing top global players.
As his journey in the tournament concluded, Sharath engaged in a spirited exhibition match against Egypt’s Omar Assar, marking his farewell. He addressed the audience emotionally, expressing his desire to continue supporting table tennis from a different role.
“Somewhere down the line, I felt it’s enough and I wanted to explore giving back to the sport from the other side of the court. I believe I have contributed adequately as a player to my country, and now I wish to assist as an administrator, coach, mentor, or simply as a senior player,” Sharath stated, expressing gratitude to his family, friends, fans, and employers including IndianOil, SDAT, Stupa Sports Analytics, Ultimate Table Tennis, TTFI, and ITTF.
Earlier in the competition, Manav secured victories in consecutive five-game matches against Germany’s Andre Bertelsmeier and South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon, an Olympic medalist, to reach the semifinals.
However, Snehit’s impressive run concluded with a loss to France’s Thibault Poret after his earlier victory over Sharath. Flavien Coton created back-to-back surprises to reach the semifinals, while Oh Jun-sung completed the final four with his win over Tomislav Pucar.
In Women’s Singles, Shin Yu-bin advanced effortlessly, defeating Miyu Nagasaki in straight games. Honoka Hashimoto maintained her strong performance, overcoming Joo Cheonhui, while Miwa Harimoto triumphed against Yuan Wan. Kim Nayeong caused an upset against sixth seed Adriana Diaz, advancing to the final four.
The WTT Star Contender 2025 will conclude with the Main Draw on Sunday, featuring Finals for Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, and Mixed Doubles. All matches from Table 1 will be streamed live on SonyLiv, while Tables 2, 3, and 4 can be followed on WTT’s official YouTube channel.
Full Results (Main Draw, Day 3)
Men’s Singles (Round of 16): Manav Thakkar (IND) Vs. Andre Bertelsmeier (GER) 3-2: 10-12, 12-10, 15-13, 6-11, 11-5; Oh Jun-sung (KOR) [12] Vs. Omar Assar (EGY) [5] 3-1: 11-3, 11-8, 11-4, 11-4; Tomislav Pucar (CRO) [15] Vs. Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) [1] 3-1: 11-9, 11-8, 13-15, 11-4; Flavien Coton (FRA) Vs. Sora Matsushima (JPN) [8] 3-2: 11-9, 5-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8; Lim Jong-hoon (KOR) [16] Vs. Hugo Calderano (BRA) [2] Vs. 13-11, 12-10, 7-11, 4-11, 11-7; Jonathan Groth (DEN) [3] Vs. Liao Cheng-Ting (TPE) 3-1: 11-6, 11-9, 5-11, 11-3; Snehit Suravajjula (IND) [WC] Vs. Achanta Sharath Kamal (IND) 3-0: 11-9, 11-8, 11-9; Thibault Poret (FRA) Vs. Feng Yi-Hsin (TPE) 3-2: 11-9, 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9
Quarterfinals: Oh Jun-sung (KOR) [12] Vs. Tomislav Pucar (CRO) [15] 3-1: 12-10, 7-11, 13-11, 11-4; Thibault Poret (FRA) Vs. Snehit Suravajjula (IND) [WC] 3-1: 11-4, 6-11, 11-7, 11-6; Flavien Coton (FRA) Vs. Jonathan Groth (DEN) [3] 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-8; Manav Thakkar (IND) Vs. Lim Jong-hoon (KOR) [16] 3-2: 5-11, 12-10, 3-11, 11-6, 11-1;
Women’s Singles (Round of 16): Kim Nayeong (KOR) Vs. Satsuki Odo (JPN) [3] 3-1: 11-6,11-8, 6-11, 11-6; Joo Cheonhui (KOR) [11] Vs. Miyuu Kihara (JPN) [7] 3-1: 11-4, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7; Yuan Wan (GER) Vs. Huang Yu-Jie (TPE) 3-1: 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9; Miyuu Nagasaki (JPN) [8] Vs. Krittwika Roy (IND) [WC] 3-0: 11-4, 11-2, 11-7; Shin Yu-bin (KOR) [4] Vs. Lee Eun-hye (KOR) [16] 3-2: 8-11, 8-11, 12-10, 12-10, 11-8; Adriana Diaz (PUR) [6] Vs. Huang Yi-Hua (TPE) [12] 3-0: 11-8, 11-6, 11-7; Miwa Harimoto (JPN) [2] Vs. Sakura Yokoi (JPN) [14] 3-0: 11-4, 11-7, 11-9; Honoka Hashimoto (JPN) [13] Vs. Hina Hayata (JPN) [1] 3-2: 6-11, 4-11, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10
Quarterfinals: Shin Yu-bin (KOR) [4] Vs. Miyu Nagasaki (JPN) [8] 3-0: 11-3, 12-10, 11-8; Honoka Hashimoto (JPN) [13] Vs. Joo Cheonhui (KOR) [11] 3-1: 11-6. 11-2, 11-13, 11-6; Miwa Harimoto (JPN) [2] Vs. Yuan Wan (GER) 3-1: 11-8, 3-11, 11-6, 11-4; Kim Nayeong (KOR) Vs. Adriana Diaz (PUR) [6] 3-0: 11-3, 11-9, 12-10
Men’s Doubles (Final): Lim Jong-hoon (KOR)/An Jae-hyun (KOR) [3] Vs. Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN)/Sora Matsushima (JPN) [1] 3-1: 11-4, 11-13, 11-2, 11-3
Women’s Doubles (Final): Miwa Harimoto (JPN)/Miyuu Kihara (JPN) [3] Vs. Shin Yu-bin (KOR)/Ryu Hanna (KOR) 3-2: 9-11, 11-9, 13-11, 12-14, 11-5.
