Lubomir Jancarik (Photo WTT)
Thirty-eight-year-old Lubomir Jancarik defied all the odds at WTT Star Contender Chennai, defeating No.5 seed Thibault Poret 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8 to round off a dramatic week in style at Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University.
World No.174 Jancarik, who made his pro debut 21 years ago, was appearing in his first international men’s singles final following a stunning week at the office for the Czech.
He met three of India’s biggest stars along the way, upstaging the likes of Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, before leaning on all his years of experience to fight back from behind against Park Ganghyeon in the semifinals.
Awaiting him in the final was none other than Poret, a young man who was back in the Chennai title match one year on from his runner-up finish at the 2025 event. The 21-year-old French ace had been here before, and was ready to take the next step in his fledgling career.
However, in an astonishing showdown that eclipsed 53 minutes, it was Jancarik who set the tone, racing out of the blocks to go 5-1 up in the opening game, eventually converting it 11-8. Poret responded well in the second, but momentum would quickly shift back the other way as Jancarik asserted his dominance in games three and four.
Fighting desperately to avoid the same fate he endured in 2025, Poret went full throttle in the fifth, clawing his way back to a 3-2 match deficit. But there would be no miraculous comeback on this occasion as Jancarik went in for the decisive blow, putting the pedal to the metal to bring home his first singles title on the world stage.
Falling to the floor in celebration, Jancarik had finally realised his greatest ambition. A title 21 years in the making, the Czech could hardly contain his excitement, soaking up rapturous applause from the stands as one of the sport’s senior pros made his career-defining breakthrough.
Over in the women’s singles final, Satsuki Odo also laid claim to her first WTT Star Contender title in Chennai, defeating Miu Hirano 11-2, 11-7, 13-11, 11-5 at the final hurdle.
Hirano, who knocked out No.2 seed Miyu Nagasaki earlier in the week, was appearing in her first WTT Series final since 2023 following a resurgent run here in Chennai. But she was no match for Odo in Sunday’s title decider, with the top seed unleashing her brilliant best to see off Hirano 4-0.
Laying claim to her fourth WTT Series winner’s trophy, Odo adds to successful efforts at WTT Contender Lima 2024, WTT Champions Montpellier 2024 and WTT Contender Zagreb 2025, further underlining her status as one of the sport’s elite.
With an eventful week in Chennai drawing to a close, all eyes now turn to Singapore as the Lion City welcomes the world’s biggest superstars for the first WTT Grand Smash event of the season, from 19 February – 1 March.
