London, April 30 — India recovered from a 1-2 deficit to beat Slovakia 3-2 in a dramatic Group 7 tie at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships here, moving to the top of the group and strengthening their position ahead of a key clash with Guatemala. The win came after a see-saw contest in which India showed resilience and composure under pressure.
Slovakia took the early lead when Lubomir Pistej (ranked 149) outlasted Manush Shah (No. 51) in a five-game opener, 11-8, 5-11, 8-11, 11-5, 11-6. India levelled quickly as their highest-ranked player, Manav Thakkar (ranked 42), produced a controlled performance to beat Jakub Zelinka in straight games, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6.
Slovakia regained the advantage in the third rubber when defensive specialist Wang Yang frustrated Harmeet Desai with sharp pace changes and accurate counters to win 16-14, 11-5, 11-9. Facing elimination at 1-2, India mounted a decisive comeback: Manav dominated Lubomir in the fourth match, delivering three identical games 11-3, 11-3, 11-3 to force a decider.
With momentum on their side, left-hander Manush held his nerve in the deciding rubber, defeating Jakub 11-8, 11-8, 11-7 to seal the 3-2 victory for India. The result puts India atop Group 7 and gives them a strong platform ahead of their next group match against Guatemala. The men’s and women’s teams were scheduled to play their final group matches later on Thursday. (PTI)
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/05/01/world-team-tt-cships-indian-men-rally-to-pip-slovakia/
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Publish Date: 2026-05-01 05:00:00
