WTT Finals 2025: Diya Chitale-Manush Shah lose opening match

Manush and Diya became the first-ever Indian mixed doubles pair to qualify for the WTT Finals 2025.

The Indian duo of Manush Shah and Diya Chitale lost their first group-stage match at the WTT Finals 2025, facing an uphill battle against none other than the reigning Olympic and World Champions, Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha of China.

The loss might have been disappointing for the Indian contingent, especially after Manush and Diya became the first-ever Indian mixed pair to qualify for the WTT Finals, but their fight on the table was nothing short of inspiring.

What made Diya’s performance even more beautiful was the fact that she was carrying an elbow injury, picked up during practice just before the match. Despite the pain, she chose to step onto the court with Manush and gave it everything she had.

Also Read: WTT Finals 2025 updated schedule, fixtures, results & live streaming details

The pair showed genuine confidence, staying level at 5–5 midway through all three games and even taking a strong 8–5 lead in the third set. For a moment, an upset felt possible. But the Chinese pair eventually pulled away, winning the match 3-0 (11–7, 11–6, 11–8) in a 22-minute battle.

To make things tougher since the start, the Indian pair found themselves placed in what many would call a Group of death, featuring top seeds Kuai Man/Lin Shidong (China) and crowd favourites Wong Chun Ting/Doo Hoi Kem (Hong Kong).

Nevertheless, this is not the end of Manush and Diya’s champaign in Hong Kong. With two group matches still to go, Manush and Diya now must win both to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

Their next challenge comes against the World No. 5 pair, Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem, and the Indian duo will be eager to bounce back stronger.

Currently, the Indian mixed pair of Manush Shah and Diya Chitale are ranked as the World No. 9 in the latest WTT/ITTF rankings.

The pair achieved their career high ranking World No. 7 following their brilliant run at the WTT Star Contender Brazil in August 2025 where they achieved the silver medal.

After a year excellence they qualified for the current WTT Finals as the fifth pair in the WTT Series Finals Race rankings. As of now, they are the only Indian mixed doubles pair (or Indian players in any category) to qualify for the WTT Finals.

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