Manika Batra (Photo by WTT)
The Women’s Singles title race has been shaken up big time at WTT Star Contender London 2025, with Chinese No.4 seed Shi Xunyao falling 11-6, 11-4, 8-11, 11-9 at the hands of India’s Manika Batra.
A player who for large parts of this season has struggled to find her ‘A Game’, Batra took heart from her last WTT Star Contender appearance in Foz do Iguaçu, reaching the quarterfinals there, and was bidding to match that effort in London.
Pushed to her limits by Maria Xiao in the Round of 32, Batra was under no illusions that she’d need to find another gear heading into Saturday’s last 16 showdown against Shi, a player who banked semifinal finishes at WTT Champions Yokohama and Europe Smash – Sweden just a couple of months back.
Against the odds, all the early momentum in the clash went to Batra as the Indian star caught out her Chinese rival, mixing things up nicely with tricky pimple play and the right levels of aggression on offense.
Shi Xunyao appeared to had cracked the code at one point in the match, responding in game three before kicking on to lead 4-5 in the fourth. But Batra, cheered on wildly from the stands, gave the London crowd the dramatic upset they were craving, finding a second wind when it mattered most to deny Shi with a late flourish.
Roaring from the top of her lungs, passionate celebrations followed from Batra, who offered a wave to the fans before embracing her coach, paying tribute to all of the above in her post-match interview.
“I think this is my greatest win after Saudi Smash, and I’ve been working hard for this day. My coach really supported me well from the bench, plus the physio and all the crowd cheering me on. That really helped me, and I’m proud of myself, with how I played today. I’m really happy here in London. People say the weather is not so good, but I like winter. I’m really positive in London, so that’s helping me,” said Batra
The Saudi Smash 2024 quarterfinalist finds herself assured of another Top 8 finish on the WTT Series, and she’s not done yet!
Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei pairing Kuo Guan-Hong-Feng Yi-Hsin sent shockwaves across Copper Box Arena, as they upset top seeds Wong Chun Ting-Chan Baldwin 9-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 11-1 to take the men’s doubles crown.
The young duo began their journey in qualifying, and impressed throughout the event, dispatching second seeds Manush Shah-Manav Thakkar on their pathway to the Final.
Competing in only their second WTT Series event together, the odds seemed against the two players, pitched against Europe Smash – Sweden 2025 champions Wong and Chan.
The match favourites from Hong Kong, China kicked things off, bagging a tight first game. But Kuo and Feng hit back, winning three points in a row to seal the second with a 12-10 scoreline.
Fortune would switch once more in the third game, with Wong converting both of his service points at 9-9 to lead the contest again.
Trailing 7-8 in the fourth game, Kuo-Feng produced their trump card, a Time-Out call, which helped the qualifiers crucially disrupt the rhythm of the match, as they went on to claim the next three points in a row, before eventually taking the game 11-9 and forcing play into a decider.
Momentum had now changed sides and was behind the qualifiers, as they powered through to completely dominate the last game, winning with an 11-1 tagline and capturing the title in London.
The surprise result from the Chinese Taipei pairing followed another shock result in the Women’s Doubles Final, with fellow qualifiers Shi Xunyao-Zhang Xiangyu having upset Qin Yuxuan-Zong Geman 11-5, 11-5, 11-9 to take the winner’s trophy.
Triumph for fellow qualifiers Shi Xunyao and Zhang Xiangyu!
Over in the Men’s Singles, Milosz Redzimski overcame World No.47 Kristian Karlsson11-8, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7 to became the first Polish table tennis player to reach a WTT Star Contender semifinal.
The 19-year-old can’t afford to celebrate for long, however, as he must begin preparations for Sunday’s semifinal brawl against fourth seed Dang Qiu, the German having dispatched compatriot Kay Stumper in three narrow games 11-9, 14-12, 17-15.
