Asian Games 2026: Manush Shah Advances to Round of 16 as Manav Thakkar and Sreeja Akula Exit

Manush Shah progressed to the Round of 16 of the men’s singles competition at the Asian Games 2026 after producing a composed straight-games victory over Iran’s young talent Benyamin Faraji.

Manush won 4-0, with game scores of 11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5, to continue his individual campaign in Aichi-Nagoya. His next opponent has now been confirmed as China’s World No. 8 Lin Shidong, setting up a major challenge for the Indian paddler. The day also brought contrasting results for India in singles, with Manav Thakkar and Sreeja Akula eliminated from their respective events.

Manush began the Round of 32 contest against Faraji with a closely fought opening game. The Iranian stayed competitive throughout, but Manush managed to edge ahead 11-9 and take the early advantage. The Indian then increased his control over the contest.

He won the second game 11-6, putting Faraji under increasing pressure and moving within two games of victory. Manush continued to dictate the exchanges in the third game, again winning 11-6. With a 3-0 advantage, Manush had a chance to close out the contest in the fourth game.

He completed the job with another convincing 11-5 victory, sealing a 4-0 result and progressing to the Round of 16 without dropping a game.

The performance was particularly significant given Faraji's status as one of Iran's emerging young players, but Manush remained composed throughout and maintained his advantage once he had taken control of the match.

Lin Shidong Awaits in Round of 16

Manush's reward for reaching the last 16 is a meeting with one of the world's leading players. He will face China's Lin Shidong, currently ranked World No. 8, in the next round.

The Chinese paddler represents a significant step up in opposition for Manush, who will now have the opportunity to test himself against one of the strongest players remaining in the draw. Manush's route to the Round of 16 has therefore set up one of the key individual contests for India's men's table tennis campaign.

While Manush progressed, Manav Thakkar bowed out after losing to North Korea's U Tae Ryong. The match was initially closely contested. Manav won the opening game 11-4, but U Tae Ryong responded emphatically in the second, taking it 11-2. The North Korean then established control of the match and won the next three games 11-7, 11-7 and 11-4.

Manav attempted to extend the contest in the sixth game, but U Tae Ryong closed it out 11-3 to complete a 4-2 victory. The full scoreline was 11-4, 2-11, 7-11, 7-11, 11-4, 3-11. The result brings Manav's men's singles campaign to an end, although he remains involved in the competition through other events.

Sreeja Akula Eliminated by North Korea's Pyon Song Gyong

India also suffered a defeat in the women's singles Round of 32, with Sreeja Akula losing to North Korea's Pyon Song Gyong. Sreeja fought hard to avoid a straight-games defeat, but eventually went down 1-4. Pyon won the opening two games 11-7 and 11-8 before Sreeja responded in the third, taking it 13-11 after a closely contested game.

The North Korean, however, regained control and won the fourth game 11-7 before closing the match with another 11-7 victory. Sreeja's singles campaign is therefore over, leaving the women's doubles as her remaining opportunity in the competition. She and Syndrela Das face a formidable challenge later in the day against China's Wang Manyu and Kuai Man.

There was also positive news for India in the men's doubles. Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran survived a closely fought second-round contest against Indonesia's Affan Pratama and Muhammad Negara, winning 3-2. The victory sends the Indian pair into the third round, where they will face Japan's Sora Matsushima and Shunsuke Togame. Meanwhile, the other Indian men's doubles combination of Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah was eliminated after losing 3-1 to Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto and Hiroto Shinozuka.

Yashaswini Also Reaches Round 3

India's Yashaswini Ghorpade also progressed in women's singles after defeating Syria's Hend Zaza. Yashaswini prevailed 4-1, winning 11-5, 11-5, 11-8, 8-11 and 11-4. She now faces the possibility of another major challenge in the next round, with Japan's Miwa Harimoto, the World No. 3, the likely opponent. For India, the singles results therefore presented a mixed picture. Manush Shah and Yashaswini advanced, while Manav Thakkar and Sreeja Akula exited.

The immediate focus in the men's singles will now be on Manush's Round of 16 meeting with Lin Shidong, where the Indian will face one of the highest-ranked players remaining in the competition.