Manika exits in quarterfinals at WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguacu in Brazil; Top-seeded pair of Manush/Manav loses men’s doubles final

Indian paddler Manika Batra bowed out of the WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguacu in Brazil on Saturday after losing her quarterfinal clash against fourth seed Honoka Hashimoto of Japan.

Manika lost 0-3 (7-11, 6-11, 7-11) to Hashimoto in a match which lasted 28 minutes. The Indian had beaten South Korea’s Kim Nayeong 3-2 to enter the last eight.

In the men’s doubles final, top-seeded Indian pair of Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar lost a closely contested summit clash.

The Shah/Thakkar duo, which finished as runner-up at a WTT Contender event in Skopje in June, lost to second seeds Benedikt Duda and Dang Qiu of Germany 2-3 (3-11, 11-7, 7-11, 15-13, 5-11) in a 42-minute match.

Earlier in the competition, the Indians defeated Chinese Taipei’s Huang Yan-Cheng and Kuo Guan-Hong 3-2 (5-11, 11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5) in the men’s doubles semifinals. They took down Frenchmen Florian Bourrassaud and Lilian Bardet 3-2 (11-6, 2-11, 6-11, 11-3, 11-6) in the quarterfinals, and Japanese qualifiers Satoshi Aida and Mizuki Oikawa 3-1 (11-8, 3-11, 11-8, 11-6) in the round of 16.

On Sunday, Shah and Diya Chitale will be facing Japanese qualifiers Aida and Honoka Hashimoto in the mixed doubles final. This is the Indian duo’s second final, having won the title in Tunis earlier this year.

The top seeds, who got a bye in the round of 16, beat Chileans Nicolas Burgos and Paulina Vega 3-0 (11-7, 11-2, 11-7) in the semifinals after defeating Gustavo Gomez and Daniela Ortega 3-1 (11-6, 10-12, 12-10, 11-6) in the quarterfinals.

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