Thakkar-Shah duo pockets silver at ITTF Czech Junior Open

Indias Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah put up an impressive show to secure a silver medal in the Czech Junior and Cadet Open, which is part of the 2018 ITTF Premier Junior Circuit.

The second-seeded pair sailed through their earlier rounds in the Junior Boys Doubles, before running into the giant-killing Chinese duo Yingbin Xu and Heyi Yu.

They put up a valiant fight before going down to the Chinese combine 1-3 in the final played on Thursday.

Thakkar and Shah had their opportunities in the opening game itself, but they failed to wrap it up and lost 12-14. Xu and Yu rode on the momentum to clinch the second game too at 11-8.
 

The Indians, however, rallied in the third to make it 1-2, taking the closely fought game 11-9. The fourth game too was tense and could have gone either way. But it proved to be the Chinese pairs day, as they won 13-11 to take the game, the match and the title.

The Indian pair routed the Egypt-Italy team of Youssef Abdel-Aziz and Carlo Rossi 3-0 in the semifinals.

The quarterfinals were much tougher, with Leo de Nodrest and Jules Rolland of France winning the first two games 11-7, 11-6. Thakkar and Shah, however, recovered smartly enough to win the remaining three games, all at 11-7.