Manush Shah’s Singles Victory Propels U Mumba into UTT Final

Manush Shah, who recently rose to world number 2 in doubles alongside Manav Thakkar, delivered a decisive singles performance on Saturday to secure U Mumba’s place in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) season 7 final. His win over Ankur Bhattacharjee of HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades gave U Mumba an unassailable lead, setting up a title defence against the unbeaten Dempo Goa Challengers on Sunday.

Ankur Bhattacharjee, a 19-year-old who had remained undefeated in the 2025 edition, proved a tough opponent. However, Manush, ranked 40th in singles, used his experience to win 11-7, 11-5. “Ankur is a strong player… it was very important to stick to the tactics,” Manush said after the match.

Earlier, Kolkata had taken the lead when Eduardo Ionescu defeated Lilian Bardet in a close first match. Ayhika Mukherjee then lost to Anna Hursey in women’s singles but managed to win a game. In mixed doubles, Manush partnered with Hursey to defeat Ayhika and Ankur 11-7, 11-5, 11-2, giving U Mumba a 6-3 advantage. Manush then sealed the tie by defeating Ankur in the men’s singles.

Manush acknowledged the challenge of balancing singles and doubles. “I try to keep up with workload management… hopefully in the coming Asian Games, we will do wonders,” he said.