Austria produced one of the biggest surprises of the Men’s Team Round of 32, defeating India 3-0 in a tie that turned out far more one-sided than many expected.
It all started with a real battle. Robert GARDOS had to dig deep against Manush SHAH in a match full of momentum swings. After losing the opening game, GARDOS settled in, using his experience and clever serve variation to take control of the rallies.
The drama peaked in the deciding game. SHAH looked in command at 7-2, but couldn’t close it out. A few mistakes opened the door, and GARDOS stepped right through it, staying calm under pressure to snatch the game 13-11 and put Austria ahead.
That moment seemed to shift the whole tie.
Daniel HABESOHN came in with confidence and never really let Manav THAKKAR settle. The Austrian controlled the pace from the start, taking initiative in the rallies and cruising to a straight-games win that put Austria within touching distance of victory.
With the momentum fully on their side, Andreas LEVENKO made sure there would be no comeback. Facing Sathiyan GNANASEKARAN, he stayed aggressive and composed, taking charge early in each game and closing out the match in straight sets to complete the sweep.
Austria now move on to the Round of 16, where an even bigger challenge awaits against Korea Republic.
Austria – India 3-0
- Robert GARDOS – Manush SHAH 3-2 (6-11, 11-7, 11-3, 8-11, 13-11)
- Daniel HABESOHN – Manav THAKKAR 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-6)
- Andreas LEVENKO – Sathiyan GNANASEKARAN 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-9)
