Manav wears Sharath down for crown

Manav Thakkar clinched the seventh game against A. Sharath Kamal with a lot to spare after dousing the imminent threat from the ace paddler to win the men’s singles 4-3 in a gripping final of the second UTT National Ranking Championships 2023 from 21 to 27 October at the Jimmy George Indoor Stadium here today.

Manav took home Rs. 77,000 for his efforts.

Manav was sitting pretty with a 2-1. But Sharath gave it back to his PSPB colleague with precise placements and excellent execution of backhand strokes to go 3-2 up. Manav was all at sea, unable to counter Sharath. However, his late charge in the sixth and his 14-12 win on the fourth game point was good enough to drain the veteran out. Manav, ready to pounce on such an opportunity, upped the ante in the decider to wear Sharath down for the title.

second-seed Manav Thakkar struggled against third-seed Snehit. The match that saw solid rallies between the two had some close moments in the tie. Snehit, leading 2-1, let Manav off the hook after he levelled 2-2 as the AAI lad squandered the advantage in the fifth game before equalling in the sixth on the third game point. However, Manav placed himself well in the decisive game and closed out on his opponent.

Men’s Singles: Final: Manav Thakkar (PSPB) bt A. Sharath Kamal (PSPB) 2-11, 11-7, 11-6, 2-11, 4-11, 14-12, 11-8.

Semifinals: Manav Thakkar bt SFR Snehit (AAI) 11-7, 3-11, 13-15, 11-4, 12-10, 11-13, 11-7.