India’s top mixed doubles pairing of Manush Shah and Diya Chitale survived a dramatic five-game battle to book their place in the quarterfinals of the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026, overcoming Korea Republic’s Oh Seunghwan and Kim Seongjin in a tense opening-round contest on Thursday.
The top seeds, fresh from their title-winning run at the WTT Contender Muscat earlier this year, were pushed to the brink by the Korean qualifiers before prevailing 3–2 (10-12, 11-6, 12-10, 5-11, 12-10) in a gripping 42-minute encounter at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University.
After dropping a closely fought first game 10-12, the Indian duo responded strongly in the second, dictating rallies and using sharp placement to level the match. The third game proved pivotal. With momentum swinging both ways, Manush and Diya edged ahead 12-10 to take a 2-1 lead.
However, the Koreans refused to back down. Oh and Kim dominated the fourth game 11-5, forcing a decider and putting the home favourites under pressure. In the fifth game, the Indian pair found themselves staring at elimination, saving three match points before holding their composure in the closing exchanges to seal a narrow 12-10 victory.
The win keeps alive India’s hopes in mixed doubles, with Manush and Diya now set to face fellow Indians Payas Jain and Syndrela Das in the quarterfinals. The wildcard pair advanced with a straight-games victory over Kazakhstan’s Iskender Kharki and Sarvinoz Mirkadirova, winning 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 in a controlled performance.
The mixed doubles draw has taken on a distinctly Indian flavour, with two more home combinations progressing to the last eight. Fourth seeds Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade produced a commanding display to defeat Romania’s Darius Movileanu and Andreea Dragoman 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 11-7), rarely allowing their opponents to settle into rhythm.
Meanwhile, the young pairing of Ankur Bhattacharjee and Swastika Ghosh showed resilience in a hard-fought 3-2 win over Korea’s Park Gyuhyeon and Kim Nayeong. After splitting the first four games, the Indians held firm in the decider to clinch it 11-9 and set up an all-Indian quarterfinal against Desai and Ghorpade.
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While the mixed doubles category provided cheer for the home fans, it was a more challenging day in other events.
In men’s doubles, top seeds Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah suffered a surprise defeat against France’s Flavien Coton and Thibault Porey. Despite taking the opening game convincingly, the Indian pair struggled to maintain momentum and went down 3-1 (12-10, 8-11, 11-5, 11-9). The loss marked an early exit for one of India’s strongest doubles combinations in the tournament.
In women’s singles, 15-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick displayed commendable fighting spirit against Korea’s Ryu Hanna, the WTT Feeder Series Vadodara 2026 champion. Divyanshi claimed the second game to level the match but ultimately fell 3-1 (6-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5). Despite the defeat, the youngster showed flashes of promise against a seasoned opponent.
As the tournament progresses into the business end of the doubles events, India’s mixed doubles contingent will draw confidence from Thursday’s performances. With at least one all-Indian semifinal spot guaranteed from the quarterfinal match-ups, the prospect of a strong podium finish remains firmly within reach.
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For Manush and Diya, however, the immediate focus will be recovery and refinement. Having survived a major scare in the opening round, the top seeds will know that tighter execution and sharper game management will be essential as the competition intensifies in Chennai.
