Manav Thakkar is U-18 world No. 1 paddler

CHENNAI: Manav Thakkar became the first Indian paddler to make it to the top of the U-18 world ranking that came out on Thursday. China's

Wang Chuqin

grabbed the No.2 slot while Indian-origin American player

Kanak Jha

was placed at No.3.


Manav, who rose to the No. 2 spot last month, accumulated 6396 points till January end, according to the latest

International Table Tennis Federation

rankings. "It's a great feeling and I'm unable to express it in words," Manav told TOI from Luxembourg, where he will be vying for top honours in the

ITTF World Junior Circuit Finals

, starting on Friday.