WTT Feeder Beirut II: Akash-Poymantee upsets Manika-Sathiyan to win mixed doubles title

Unheralded Akash Pal and Poymantee Baisya pulled off a massive upset as they handed out their experienced counterparts Manika Batra and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran a defeat in the final of WTT Feeder Beirut to clinch their maiden title on Sunday in Beirut, Lebanon.

The young pair from West Bengal outclassed former world no.5, Manika and Sathiyan in a four-game (11-9, 7-11. 1-9, 11-0) thriller.

Manika and Sathiyan were the pre-match favourites to win the title and started the opening game on an expected note, taking a 6-3 lead but then Poymantee won a crucial point with her backhand push to shift the momentum and won the first game.

Manika and Sathiyan bounced back in the second game from trailing 1-5 to winning it 11 -7. They managed to pull one game back due to the sheer attacking gameplay of Sathiyan.

They tried to continue in the similar fashion in the third game but Akash found a way out to keep Manika and Sathiyan in check.

Akash used his height advantage and played some very close shots at the net to frustrate their opponents which also led to a yellow card for Manika and Sathiyan.

In the final game, Akash and Poymantee continued to trouble them as they lost focus and made many unforced errors to lose the game and eventually the match without winning a single point.

In the women doubles final, Sreeja Akula and Diya Chitale lost to the top seeded, world no.25, Hong Kong pair of Doo Hoi Kem and Zhu Chengzhu in a four-game (11-4, 9-11, 7-11, 6-11) duel to finish the tournament as the runners-up.

Sreeja Akula, however, will still have a chance to taste success as she will face Sarah De Nutte of Luxembourg in the women's singles final later tonight.