Muscat, Jan 24 (.) India’s Manush Shah and Diya Chitale claimed the mixed doubles title at the WTT Contender Muscat 2026 on Friday, defeating China’s Huang Youzheng and Shi Xunyao 3-2 in a thrilling five-game final at the Sultan Qaboos Sport Complex.
According to Olympics.com, the third-seeded Indian pair prevailed 3-2 (11-5, 5-11, 11-5, 5-11, 13-11) in a closely contested 37-minute match to secure their second mixed doubles crown at a WTT Contender event.
Currently ranked world No. 8, Manush and Diya had earlier won the WTT Contender Tunis title in April last year, where they defeated Japan’s Sora Matsushima and Miwa Harimoto in another five-game final. Harimoto was part of Japan’s silver medal-winning team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Indian duo showed resilience throughout the Muscat campaign, notably in the semi-finals where they rallied from two games down to overcome France’s Thibault Poret and Charlotte Lutz 3-2 (10-12, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8).
Their title run began with a narrow 3-2 victory over China’s Chen Yuanyu and Han Feier in the round of 16, followed by a 3-1 quarter-final win against Singapore’s Pang Koen and Zeng Jian.
WTT Contender tournaments offer valuable world ranking points, enabling players to qualify for higher-tier WTT Champions and Grand Smash events.
Manush also impressed in the men’s doubles competition, partnering Manav Thakkar to reach the semi-finals. The Indian pair eventually bowed out after a tight 3-2 loss (11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 7-11) to China’s Lin Shidong and Huang Youzheng.
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