WTT Star Contender: Lubomir Jancarik stuns Manav Thakkar in opening round
Manav Thakkar, India’s biggest hope, crashed out in the opening round of the men’s singles at the WTT Star Contender table tennis tournament at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University on Friday.
World No. 174 Lubomir Jancarik of Czechia stunned the 33rd-ranked Indian, seeded four, in four games (11-6, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9), producing one of the biggest upsets of the event so far.
The 38-year-old was sharp and consistent from the outset. His serves were precise, especially the backhand side spins. His returns were deep and controlled, and he handled both short exchanges and long rallies with assurance. Jancarik seldom gave away easy points and kept the pressure on throughout.
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Manav, on the other hand, looked unusually off-colour. Known for his solidity, spanning across mid-court and the backcourt, and his ability to avoid making a handful of unforced errors, the Indian struggled for rhythm and committed a string of elementary mistakes that allowed his opponent to dictate play.
A seasoned campaigner—his best performance was reaching the final of the Kuwait Open in 2008 on the international circuit—Jancarik has competed in around a dozen WTT events in 2025 and has already featured in two this season: the WTT Contender Muscat and the WTT Star Contender Doha. While he hasn’t made deep runs in recent tournaments, his temperament and tactical discipline were evident here.
A true journeyman, Jancarik continues to grind it out week after week, and on this occasion, his persistence paid off handsomely.
Speaking about the win, Jancarik told Sportstar: “Manav is a very good player, but I think he would admit that the match was in my hands today, for sure. I was leading in all the sets,” he said.
Having beaten him the only other time the two met—in the WTT Feeder in Havirov (Czech Republic) in 2025—as well, Jancarik said: “I just knew his system. I was waiting to find out whether he would change or not… I want to be in the top 30 and play in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”
Published on Feb 13, 2026