Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah finish runner-up at WTT Contender Skopje 2025

India’s Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah ended their impressive run at the WTT Contender Skopje 2025 as runners-up in the men’s doubles event, falling 0-3 (9-11, 7-11, 9-11) to South Korea’s Jonghoon Lim and Junsung Oh in the final on Sunday.

The clash, held at the Jane Sandanski Sports Center in North Macedonia, marked the Indian pair’s first-ever final appearance at the WTT Contender level as a team.

The opening game saw a promising start from the Indians, who led 9-6 at one point. But the South Korean duo mounted a strong comeback, winning five straight points to take the first game 11-9.

The second game followed a similar script. Manav and Manush were well in the contest until the Koreans, ahead 8-7, called a timeout. That break turned the tide decisively, as a couple of errors from the Indian side handed their opponents a 2-0 lead.

In the third game, Thakkar and Shah started brightly again, racing to a 3-0 lead. However, the experienced Korean team clawed their way back into control and eventually sealed the game—and the match—at 11-9.

Despite the defeat, it was a milestone moment for the duo, who have steadily built chemistry on the international circuit. They were notably absent from the ongoing Ultimate Table Tennis Season 6 in Ahmedabad due to prior commitments in overseas leagues, but their Skopje run demonstrated their growing presence on the global stage.

With this runner-up finish, Manav and Manush have signaled their potential to become a serious force in world doubles going forward.