Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah became the first Indian paddlers to reach the semi-finals of a WTT Grand Smash event as they registered a quarter-finals win at the 2026 WTT Singapore Smash on Wednesday.
Thakkar and Shah, seeded sixth, took down Belgium’s Martin Allegro and Adrien Rassenfosse 11-8, 11-9, 11-9 in straight games to book their spot in the final four.
The Indian pair, who are ranked world No 5, were never really in trouble as they blanked their opponents in just under 27 minutes.
The win made them the first paddlers from India – singles or doubles discipline – to reach the semi-final of a Grand Smash, the highest tier WTT event.
Thakkar and Shah will now face off against France’s Lebrun brothers – Felix and Alexis – in the semi-final on Friday.
Manush-Diya exit
Earlier in the day, India’s campaign in mixed doubles came to a halt in the quarter-finals as the pair of Shah and Diya Chitale face a straight games loss.
Shah and Chitale, seeded sixth, went down 6-11, 9-11, 5-11 against Brazil’s third seeded duo of Bruna Takahashi and Hugo Calderano.
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