Manav Thakkar’s Historic WTT Star Contender Chennai Run Ends in Semifinals

Chennai: Manav Thakkar’s historic run at the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 ended with a hard-fought 3-1 Semifinal loss to World No. 54 Thibault Poret on Sunday.

Having become the first Indian male player to reach a WTT Star Contender semifinal just a day earlier, Manav delivered a spirited performance at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, pushing the 20-year-old Frenchman in a thrilling, high-intensity contest.

Despite narrowly missing out in the first two games, the 24-year-old from Rajkot rallied brilliantly to claim the third, igniting the home crowd. Poret’s exceptional defensive display throughout ultimately proved decisive, setting up a title clash against South Korea’s Oh Jun-sung.

Beyond earning his place in history, Manav raked in 210 significant WTT ranking points and a purse of USD 4,000 (Rs 3.42 Lakhs) with his sensational semifinal run.

Earlier, Manav had claimed victory in successive five-game thrillers over Germany’s Andre Bertelsmeier and South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon, an Olympic medallist, to reach the semifinals. IANS

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