The 24-year-old from Surat looked a bit nervy in the opening game but came back. (FILE photo)
India’s World No. 60 Manav Thakkar got his first-ever top-15 scalp, beating Korea’s top-ranked player and World No. 14 Jang Woojin 3-2 (5-11,11-9,5-11,11-9,11-7) in their men’s singles Rd of 32 clash of Asian Championship on Saturday.
In what was a stunning display of backhand attack, Manav didn’t allow Woojin to settle into the match after the Korean took the first game 5-11. The 24-year-old from Surat looked a bit nervy in the opening game but came back in stunning fashion to take the third 11-9.
The Korean, who reached the semifinal of the Saudi Smash, bounced back to take the third, but that was all Manav, who is in incredible form, was going to give him.
Woojin led the fourth 5-4, but Manav called for a very smart timeout and the game just changed on its head after that. Coach Massimo Costantini, who was sitting on Manav’s bench appeared to be telling the Indian to attack more on Woojin’s backhand before unleashing a forehand across the table.
And that’s exactly what Manav did. He kept it low to Woojin’s backhand and when the pace was upped, just tapped it across the table to put Woojin off balance. When the Korean managed to return it at an even faster pace, Manav masterfully kept it on the table. Even on the ones that went way back, Manav showed great composure to put them back onto the table. The highlight reels are bound to light up with those returns.
In the team event earlier this week, Manav showed that he’s destined for greater things with a smart win over over Kazakhstan’s Kirill Gerassimenko which gave India their third straight bronze medal at the Asian Championships.
India’s upcoming star, Manush Shah also got his first-ever top-25 win, beating Korean World No. 23 An Jaehyun in straight games 3-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-6).
The wins by both Manav and Manush show that like their women’s counterparts, the men too are capable of notching up big wins.
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