India’s No.1 Manav Thakkar outlasted Croatia’s Tomislav Pucar in a five-game contest, closing 12–10, 3–11, 11–6, 5–11, 11–7 to reach the last 16 at the Swag Energie ARENA (Infinity ∞ Arena).
The match oscillated on momentum swings, smart timeout management, and tight serve-return adjustments, with the final surge coming from Thakkar when he sealed the decider 11–7. Game 1 showcased the tone of the afternoon: nothing linear, everything contested. Pucar burst to a 5–0 lead, finding early rhythm on the third-ball attack and pinning Thakkar with deep counters into the backhand corner. From there, Thakkar steadied. He cut out the early push errors, shortened the backswing on receive, and began to vary depth on the first block. The scoreboard reflected the repair work: 3–5, 4–5, 5–5, then 6–5 and 7–5 as he flipped the control of the table.
Pucar hit back to 9–6 and 9–7, but Thakkar’s composure on serve at the business end told. He navigated the deuce-tightrope with decisive first-ball placement particularly a short-to-forehand feed that drew a pop-up and edged the opener 12–10. For an athlete who had trailed by five at the start, it was an important psychological win: he had solved the opening pattern without overswinging.
Pucar resets, levels emphatically (3–11)
The reset from Pucar in Game 2 was ruthless. He flattened the arc on the opening loop, accelerated through the backhand line, and strangled the middle channel where Thakkar had enjoyed cheap points in the first. The game raced away 11–3 to Pucar more a statement of intent than a routine leveler. Momentum belonged to the Croat; the match was one set all and tactically wide open.
The hinge of the contest arrived midway through Game 3. At 7–5, with rallies lengthening and the Croatian pressure reasserting, Thakkar called a timeout. Coming out of it, he stitched together his best run of the match: controlled receives to the short forehand, early block counters off Pucar’s second-ball pace, and more conviction down the line. The sequence rolled to 8–6, 9–6, 10–6 and 11–6. It wasn’t flashy—just clean, high-percentage table craft. India’s No.1 led 2–1, and the tactical picture had clarity: shorten exchanges, deny Pucar rhythm, and win the first contact.
Pucar’s counterpunch sets up a decider (5–11)
Game 4 swung back to the Croatian. Pucar rediscovered the heavy forehand from the half distance and widened angles off his backhand, dragging Thakkar into uncomfortable, late-block positions. The scoreboard marched to 10–4 with little resistance, and although Thakkar clipped a couple back, Pucar closed 11–5. At 2–2, both had imposed their A-plans in spurts; the match would be decided by who solved the other’s best pattern in crunchtime.
Game 5: nerves, timeouts, and a composed finish (11–7)
The decider began with Thakkar landing the first blow 1–0, 2–0 before Pucar steadied to 2–1, then 3–2. Serve changes punctuated every shift, and the margins were thin. At 3–4 down, Pucar took a timeout, a clear attempt to defuse Thakkar’s return variations that were now consistently forcing weaker third balls. The break yielded immediate parity at 4–4 and 5–5, but crucially, Thakkar reclaimed the lead at 6–5 and then 7–6 with disciplined depth on the second ball.
From 6–6, the Indian accelerated the finish: two compact, early-taken blocks into the open court moved him 8–6; a firm forehand counter made it 9–7; and a forcing receive produced 10–7 match point. The last rally mirrored the afternoon’s theme: first contact won, table position held, error drawn. Game 5 to Thakkar 11–7, match 3–2.
What decided it
1) First-contact quality under pressure. In Games 3 and 5, Thakkar’s serve/receive patterns were cleaner. He mixed short forehand serves with half-long teasers to the backhand, limiting Pucar’s step-around kill. On receive, the shorter, deader touch neutered the Croatian’s third ball just enough to bring Thakkar’s compact block into play.
2) Timeouts used with intent. Thakkar’s timeout in Game 3 halted drift and delivered an immediate 4–1 run to the finish. Pucar’s decider timeout steadied him to 5–5, but Thakkar’s next-phase adjustment earlier contact and wider placement—won the final bend.
3) Discipline at 8–8 and 9–9 equivalents. Although the decider never hit deuce, the “mini-deuce” points (6–6, 7–6, 8–7) are where matches are actually captured. Thakkar didn’t overhit. He resisted the temptation to take on the big diagonal and instead trusted depth and the second ball to shape rallies.
The arc of the five games, in brief
- G1 (12–10): From 0–5 down, Thakkar recalibrates receive patterns and steals it at the tape.
- G2 (3–11): Pucar reasserts with pace, especially through backhand lanes.
- G3 (11–6): Timeout swing; Thakkar owns first contact and boxes Pucar into short exchanges.
- G4 (5–11): Croatian power returns; angles widen, rallies lengthen, decider forced.
- G5 (11–7): Indian composure and clarity; serve/receive discipline and early block control settle it.
Beyond a spot in the Round of 16, the manner of the victory is instructive for Thakkar’s upward trajectory. Against an experienced opponent, he won not by trading pace but by winning structure: serve placement, receive length, and the courage to keep points short when the match scoreboard screamed for a haymaker. The two timeouts one taken, one absorbed were handled with maturity. And in the decider, every serve looked like a plan, not a hope.
For Pucar, there was plenty to like: the Game 2 blitz, the Game 4 reset, and the mid-decider resilience after the timeout. But the match’s narrow center of gravity first contact at 6–6 to 9–7 tilted India’s way.
Final: Manav Thakkar d. Tomislav Pucar 3–2
Game scores: 12–10, 3–11, 11–6, 5–11, 11–7
A tight, tactical win and the kind that tends to travel well into the next round.
