India's Manush Shah-Diya Chitale win the mixed doubles Photo WTT)
India’s Manush Shah-Diya Chitale, were crowned as the mixed doubles champions at the WTT Contender Muscat with a last-gasp 11-5, 5-11, 11-5, 5-11, 13-11 win over Huang Youzheng-Shi Xunyao.
Manush-Diya have had their resolve challenged multiple times throughout the week, needing all five games to come out on top against Chen Yuanyu-Han Feier in the opening round, before staging a jaw-dropping comeback from two games down to deny Thibault Poret-Charlotte Lutz in the semifinals.
As fate would have it, those full-distance encounters would prove excellent preparation for Friday’s final. Despite seeing their lead cancelled out twice by Youzheng-Xunyao, the Indian pair didn’t let their heads drop. As the saying goes, pressure makes diamonds. Two championship points came and went, but Manush-Diya didn’t falter, bringing it home at the third attempt to strike success for the second time on the WTT Series.
Earlier in the day, the men’s singles draw was hit by a shock exit, losing its top-seeded entry Lin Shidong, who saw his week end at the hands of Darko Jorgic.
The Slovenian would leave the table all smiles after completing his second-ever win over Lin Shidong, and his first in four years 11-9, 4-11, 11-9, 11-9. However, Jorgic couldn’t follow up, ending up on the wrong side of a 3-1 showdown against Wen Ruibo, who continued to build on his impressive start to the season with a 11-4, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7 win.
Through to another men’s singles final just one week on from his runner-up finish at WTT Star Contender Doha 2026, rising star Ruibo is now just one win away from his first singles success on the WTT Series. Patrick Franziska stands between him and the title, with the No.6 seed dispatching Chen Yuanyu 11-6, 13-11, 10-12, 11-5 in the last four.
Defending women’s singles champion Shi Xunyao has no intention of letting her title go in Muscat, bouncing back from a Day 2 scare in style as she brushed aside Zeng Jian 11-6, 11-2, 15-13 and Zong Geman 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 without so much as a scratch.
However, she’ll have to be at her very best if she’s to leave Sultan Qaboos Sport Complex with the title still in her possession, with former World No.13 He Zhuojia awaiting in the final.
He Zhuojia survived a gruelling test to end Anna Hursey’s dream run in the quarterfinals 11-4, 11-5, 7-11, 9-11, 11-2 before confirming her spot in Saturday’s title match with a 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-6 win over Doo Hoi Kem.
Xunyao held the upper hand in a five-game nail-biter at WTT Feeder Vila Nova de Gaia 2023. However, before that they previously met here in Muscat, with Zhuojia chalking up a 3-0 victory at WTT Contender Muscat 2022.
