The Indian men’s team was comprehensively defeated 3-0 by Austria, failing to recover after an early setback. World No. 51 Manush Shah produced a spirited performance in the opening rubber but lost a closely contested five-game thriller 3-2 to Olympian Robert Gardos, with scores of 6-11, 11-7, 11-3, 8-11, 13-11. India’s momentum collapsed thereafter as World No. 39 Manav Thakkar was outplayed 3-0 by Daniel Habesohn, with set scores of 11-7, 11-5, 11-6. Olympian G Sathiyan, ranked World No. 42, then went down 3-0 to Andreas Levenko, losing 11-5, 11-8, 11-9, sealing India’s exit.
Earlier, the Indian men’s team had shown strong form in Stage 1b Group 7, securing dominant 3-0 victories over Tunisia and Guatemala and registering a comeback win against Slovakia to top their group and advance to the knockout stage. The tournament features 64 teams divided into 16 groups of four, with the top two from each group progressing to Stage 2.
In the women’s competition, India lost 3-1 to the United States. Yashaswini Ghorpade, ranked World No. 61, struggled in the opening match and lost 3-0 to Sally Moyland, with scores of 11-8, 11-8, 11-7. However, Olympian Manika Batra, World No. 48, levelled the tie with a commanding 3-1 win over Jessica Reyes Lai, registering 11-2, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4.
The contest shifted thereafter as Diya Chitale, ranked World No. 95, was defeated 3-0 by Lily Zhang, 11-8, 11-7, 13-11. In the decisive match, Manika Batra fought hard but lost 3-1 to Sally Moyland, with set scores of 10-12, 11-9, 11-3, 13-11, bringing India’s women’s campaign to an end.
The Indian women’s team had earlier topped Stage 1b Group 6 with wins over Ukraine, Uganda, and Rwanda to qualify for the knockout phase.
The championships, first introduced as a standalone event in 2000, continue to be one of the most prestigious competitions in international table tennis and are scheduled to conclude on May 10.
The dual exits of both Indian teams at the Round of 32 underline the competitive intensity of the global stage, as India’s campaign ends despite moments of individual brilliance and strong group-stage performances.
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