ITTF World Cup 2025: Manika Batra, Sreeja to lead Indian challenge - Preview

Top Indian paddlers, Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula, are ready for the 43rd edition of the ITTF Singles World Cup, scheduled to take place for the second consecutive year in Macao, China, from April 14th to 20th.

Interestingly, no Indian male paddler was able to qualify for the World Cup for the third straight edition, and similar to last year, only Manika and Sreeja will be representing India at this competition.

India set their eyes on the knockout stage

India has never won a medal at the ITTF Singles World Cup, and based on the current form, it will be a daunting task once again.

But Manika and Sreeja's first target will be to qualify for the knockout stage after missing out on the same in the last edition. Then, they will be fighting one match at a time in the knockout stage.

For the knockout stage, they have to top their respective groups. It is very much doable based on the recently concluded draw, where they have a comparatively better draw than last year.

Manika, ranked 30th in the world, is placed in Group 16 alongside Bruna Takahashi (WR.23) of Brazil and Maylis Giret (WR.183) of New Caledonia.

Manika should not face much trouble from Giret.

However, she will have a potential virtual knockout against Bruna, with whom she has a 0-1 head-to-head record at major tournaments, losing the match in their last meeting at the 2021 World Championships.

On the other hand, Sreeja, ranked 34th in the world, is placed in Group 9 alongside Bernadette Szocs (WR.13) of Romania and Constantina Psihogios (WR.68) of Australia.

Format

There are two medal events, men's singles and women's singles, at this tournament, where the competition will be divided into two phases: The pool stage and the knockout stage.

The starting pool will have 48 players in each of two events, which will be divided into 16 groups of three players each in the first stage of the competition.

Each group match consists of 4 games, with possible outcomes of 4-0, 3-1, or 2-2, and the group winners will advance to the knockout stage, while the rest of the field will leave the competition.

The second phase will be a single-elimination bracket of 16 players, which will have the best-of-seven matches, and after four intense knockout rounds, one player in each event will be crowned the ITTF World Cup Champion.

Schedule

14th April - Pool Stage round 1

15th April - Pool Stage round 2

16th April - Pool Stage round 3

17th April - Round of 16

18th April - Quarter-finals

19th April - Semi-finals

20th April - Finals

Where to watch

There is no official TV broadcast for the tournament, but all the action of the 2025 ITTF World Cup will be live-streamed on the ITTF World YouTube Channel.