WTT Youth Contender:
Iran’s Shirvani claims runner-up trophy
Iranian table tennis prodigy Nikan Shirvani settled for runner-up finish at the WTT Youth Contender event in Manama, Bahrain.
The Iranian boy fell to a 3-2 loss to his Russian opponent in the under-13 singles final on Thursday to collect his first trophy of the new international season.
Shirvani enjoyed an impressive run of results at the annual event last season.
The Iranian claimed the under-11 title in Tunis last January, thanks to a final victory over Andya Mohammed of Iraq, and then repeated the success in April, defeating Moldavan Nicolae Bucur in straight games in the final.
Shirvani also bagged a third-place trophy on his return to the Tunisian capital in October, courtesy of a last-four setback in a five-game thriller against Russian Matvei Manankov, who competed as a neutral athlete, in the under-13 age class.