WTT Star Contender Brazil: India’s doubles teams reach historic finals

India has created table tennis history at the WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguaçu 2025 in Brazil, with two Indian doubles pairs advancing to the finals, a milestone moment for the sport in the country.

This marks the first time that Indian players have advanced to the finals in both mixed doubles and men’s doubles at a WTT Star Contender event.

In the mixed doubles, Manush Shah and Diya Chitale, ranked World No. 10 and seeded first in the draw, showcased flawless coordination. They defeated Chile’s fourth-seeded pair Nicolás Burgos and Paulina Vega 3-0 in the semifinals (11–7, 11–2, 11–7).

Earlier, they received a bye in the opening round and overcame Chile’s Gustavo Gomez and Daniela Ortega in the quarterfinals. In the final, they will face Japan’s surprise package - qualifier duo Satoshi Aida and Honoka Hashimoto.

In the men’s doubles, the top-seeded Indian pair of Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah (World No. 10) produced a commanding run to the final. They began their campaign with a 3-1 win over Japan’s qualifiers Satoshi Aida and Mizuki Oikawa in the round of 16, followed by a hard-fought 3-2 victory against France’s Florian Bourrassaud and Lilian Bardet in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, they held their nerve to edge out Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yan-Cheng and Kuo Guan-Hong in a gripping five-game battle (5-11, 11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5) The Indians will now face the second-seeded German duo, Benedikt Duda and Dang Qiu, in a blockbuster final.

In the women’s doubles, Manika Batra and Swastika Ghosh made it to the quarterfinals but lost to South Korea’s Joo Cheonhui and Lee Eunhye. While no women's doubles pair reached the semifinals, the performance reflects steady progress in this category.

India’s singles campaign at the WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguaçu 2025 is still underway, featuring top names like Manika Batra, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Swastika Ghosh, Ayhika Mukherjee, Diya Chitale, Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, and Manush Shah.

Manika Batra has reached the round of 16 in women's singles, while Harmeet Desai and Manush Shah are also into the round of 16 in the men’s singles draw.