Daijiworld Media Network – Singapore

Singapore, Feb 26: Indian paddlers Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar scripted history on Wednesday by becoming the first-ever Indian pair to reach the semifinals of a WTT Grand Smash event, achieving the milestone at the WTT Singapore Grand Smash.

The sixth-seeded Indian duo produced a commanding performance to defeat Belgium’s Martin Allegro and Adrien Rassenfosse 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-9) in just 27 minutes. With the victory, the Indians improved their head-to-head record against the Belgian pair to 2-0. Notably, Allegro and Rassenfosse had entered the quarterfinals after knocking out the top seeds.

Manush and Manav will now take on the fourth-seeded French brothers, Félix Lebrun and Alexis Lebrun, in the semifinals scheduled for Friday.

Earlier in the day, however, Manush’s mixed doubles campaign came to an end. Partnering Diya Chitale, the sixth-seeded Indian pair bowed out in the quarterfinals after going down 0-3 (6-11, 9-11, 5-11) to the third-seeded Brazilian duo of Hugo Calderano and Bruna Takahashi.

Despite the mixed doubles exit, the historic semifinal berth in men’s doubles marks a significant achievement for Indian table tennis on the global stage.