Runner-Up Finish in Skopje Lifts Kanak Jha to World No. 24

Kanak Jha climbed further up the world rankings after a runner-up finish in men’s singles at WTT Contender Skopje. He was defeated 4-2 (11-3, 14-16, 12-14, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11) by Darko Jorgic of Slovenia in the championship match.

The deep tournament run moved the American star up six spots to No. 24 in the latest world rankings.

The two players were especially familiar with each other’s games. Jha explained, "We've known each other since we were like 13 years old, so we've also had hundreds of training sessions together."

Even after Jha bested the now World No. 13 in the Bundesliga Championships, the pair’s second major final in a week did little to simplify the match.

“It’s always a new matchup every time, every match we’re going to make adjustments, every time the match is going to be different,” Jha said.

Kanak Jha jumped out to an early lead, taking Game 1 behind aggressive flicks and controlling the service game to keep himself ahead on the scoresheet.

Jorgic countered by squeaking out Games 2 and 3 well into deuce. As he settled into the match, his touch play and elite service were on full display, while his trademark backhand became increasingly effective.

The finalists traded two more games before Jorgic closed out the match in the sixth game.

Reflecting on his defeat, Jha pointed to fatigue as a key factor. “The biggest difference between the Bundesliga finals and Skopje was my physical form,” he said.

“As the match went on, you could see especially in the later parts of the sets and later in the match, I think he started to gain more and more of the upper hand while I started to fade.”

The runner-up finish in their second encounter capped a strong week for Jha, highlighted by victories over France's Simon Gauzy in the quarterfinals and Japan's Hiroto Shinozuka in the semifinals.

Jha's next event is WTT Star Contender Ljubljana 2026, scheduled for June 16–21 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.