Manav Thakkar wins maiden international singles title at WTT Feeder Chennai; Yoo Yerin beats Sutirtha
Manav Thakkar defeated Samuel Walker to win his first international men’s singles crown at the WTT Feeder Chennai at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University in Chennai on Sunday, and Yoo Yerin secured the women’s singles title with a straight-games victory over Sutirtha Mukherjee.
Top-seeded Manav recovered from a two-game deficit to prevail 6-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-8 after Walker had reached the final having dropped only two games en route; Walker’s attacks from the back of the table on both flanks were described as ferocious and consistent through the opening games. Yoo, the second seed from South Korea, beat Sutirtha 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 to claim her first international singles title, while Sutirtha had earlier upset top seed Yang Ha-eun in the semifinals.
The match turned in the third game when, at 9-9, Manav altered his serve to a short backhand delivery that limited Walker’s space to attack; Manav then grew in confidence and won several points in long rallies to shift momentum in his favour.
“Over the last two or three years, I have become a little more mature in my playing style. The draw was tough, but I was well prepared, having come from the China Smash. I learnt a lot after the bad patch at the Asian Games. The change in blade also helped. Though I use Tibhar equipment, I switched from the Alexis Lebrun blade to the Felix Lebrun blade. It helped me control the rallies better. I have to say I had lost my first final to Sathiyan in the WTT Feeder Beirut in 2024,” Manav told The Hindu.
Earlier in the men’s event, Manav reached the final by beating G. Sathiyan 5-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-2 in the semifinals, while Walker defeated SFR Snehit 11-4, 11-8, 11-9; in men’s doubles, Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai beat Payas Jain and Priyanuj Bhattacharyya 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 in the final.
In the women’s draw, Sutirtha overcame Yang Ha Eun 11-4, 11-7, 13-11 in the semifinals and Yerin beat Swara Karmarkar 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 12-10 to reach the final; the women’s doubles title went to Kim Seoyun and Yein Jeong, who defeated Haelin Lee and Gyurin Kim 11-3, 11-8, 11-3.
Manav also partnered Taneesh Kotecha to victory in the mixed doubles final, beating Mehan Senthil and Ananya Muralidharan 15-17, 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6, giving him two titles at the event.
The listed results completed the WTT Feeder Chennai programme at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University, producing champions in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.