French qualifier Leo De Nodrest knocked out Hong Kong’s World No.42 Wong Chun Ting.
Doha: Action got off to a flying start in the main draw of the WTT Star Contender Doha 2026 with a string of upsets at the Lusail Sports Hall yesterday as part of the 31st Qatar Table Tennis Championships Series.
Standout matches of the day saw China’s Zhou Qihao stage a remarkable comeback to eliminate Manav Thakkar of India, while French qualifier Leo De Nodrest knocked out Hong Kong’s World No.42 Wong Chun Ting in two five game thrillers.
China’s World No.36 Qihao defeated World No.33 Thakkar with a score line of 8-11, 5-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-5.
Fresh from reaching the Round of 16 at WTT Champions Doha 2026 last week, Zhou was offered an early threat by Thakkar who dominated the first two games, including six consecutive winners in the second to put himself in a comfortable spot.
However, Zhou responded with an 8-1 lead in the third game before winning the game 11-6, and continued the momentum into the next two games to complete a stunning comeback.
Earlier in the morning session, De Nodrest delivered the first major upset in Doha when he stunned Ting in a five-game battle (17-15, 4-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9).
Upsets continued at the Lusail Sports Hall when the favourites and top seeds were stunned in the men’s doubles.
An Jaehyun and Lim Jonghoon of South Korea were sent packing in straight games by China’s Xu Yingbin and Chen Junsong (11-8, 16-14, 11-9).
In the women’s doubles, Indian qualifiers Manika Batra and Diya Chitale almost pulled off an upset when they pushed Japan’s Sakura Yokoi and Satsuki Odo to the limit before falling in five games (12-10, 13-11, 13-15, 7-11, 11-1).
Hosts Qatar endured a tough day at the Star Contender yesterday, with all home players bowing out in the opening rounds.
Wildcard Rokaia Elbaz fought hard in the women’s singles but lost 1-3 to Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem (1-11, 11-8, 1-11, 5-11), while top ranked Qatar player Aia Mohamed was beaten 0-3 by fellow wildcard Yoo Yerin.
In men’s singles, Mohammed Abdulwahhab went down 0-3 to China’s Xue Fei, while Sultan Al Kuwari lost 0-3 to Portugese qualifier Joao Geraldo.
In doubles, Mohammed and Abdullah Abdulwahhab were swept 0-3 by Wong Chun Ting and Chan Baldwin of Hong Kong. Ahmed Korani and Sultan Al Kuwari lost 0-3 to Florian Bourrassaud and Lilian Bardet.
Mixed doubles pairs Sultan Al Kuwari and Rokaia Elbaz, and Mohammed Abdulwahhab and Aia Mohamed, also suffered straight games defeats to Chen Yuanyu and Kuai Man, and Pang Koen and Zeng Jian respectively.
The competitions continue today when the top seeds enter the fray in the men’s and women’s singles, intensifying the action in the high-profile event, conducted by the Qatar Table Tennis Association and World Table Tennis.
