Home is where the heart is and India’s top paddler Manush Shah delivered a memorable performance on home soil by clinching the men’s singles title at the WTT Feeder Vadodara 2026, presented by the Sports Authority of Gujarat (SAG).
The tournament was organised by the Table Tennis Association of Baroda, under the aegis of the Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) and the Table Tennis Federation of India, at the Sama Indoor Sports Complex from January 7 to 11.
The victory tasted even sweeter for the Vadodara lad, as it made Manush only the second paddler from Gujarat to win a WTT Feeder title and just the fourth Indian, after G Sathiyan, Sreeja Akula and Harmeet Desai, to achieve the feat.
In the summit clash, Manush registered a remarkable come-from-behind win over seventh seed Payas Jain. After conceding the opening two games, the India No.1 paddler raised his intensity and took control of the rallies to seal a hard-fought 3–2 victory (7–11, 10–12, 11–6, 11–6, 11–8) and lift the title.
The bespectacled southpaw began his campaign with a comfortable 3–1 win over qualifier Jash Modi in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals, the 25-year-old overcame Priyanuj Bhattacharyya by the same margin before defeating third seed Snehit Suravajjula 3–1 (6–11, 11–9, 14–12, 11–5) in the semifinals.
The triumph was all the more special as Manush’s maiden WTT Feeder title came just a day before his 25th birthday — and on his home turf.
Speaking while en route to Doha, Manush revealed that a strong preparation phase played a key role in his success. “I had a very good 15-day training block with my Chinese coach Yen Wei, who is also the coach of SAG and GSTTA. This was an important tournament for me as my home city hosted a WTT Feeder event for the first time,” he said.
“The home advantage in terms of staying at home and eating home food certainly helped, but that apart, it was my preparation that delivered this result. Since I am actively playing all three formats — singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles — I was keen on securing crucial singles world ranking points. This title will help me jump from world No. 75 to inside the top 60,” he added.
Looking ahead, Manush has set his sights firmly on the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, where he hopes to challenge for medals in men’s doubles (with Manav Thakkar) and mixed doubles (with Diya Chitale). “These two events offer our best chances for medals. Playing all three formats is demanding but I am working hard to stay physically and mentally strong to achieve my goals,” Manush signed off.
Harmeet settles for silver in mixed doubles: Gujarat’s another paddler Harmeet Desai, partnering Yashaswini Ghorpade, finished runners-up in the mixed doubles event after suffering a 1–3 defeat against Payas Jain and Syndrela Das in the final.
Seeded second, Harmeet and Yashaswini produced solid performances to reach the title clash. In the semifinals, the Indian pair registered a convincing 3–0 win over qualifiers Raegan Albuquerque and Suhana Saini to advance to the final.
Earlier, in the quarterfinals, Harmeet and Yashaswini were pushed hard by wild card entrants Ronit Bhanja and Sutirtha Mukherjee, but showed composure at crucial moments to prevail 3–2.