WTT Star Contender Chennai Set For Record-breaking Main Draw With 13 Indian Entries

WTT Star Contender Chennai set for record-breaking main draw with 13 Indian entries (Image Source: IANS)

The WTT Star Contender Chennai: Sustaining the momentum of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Indian table tennis continues its ascent with 13 entries earning direct qualification for WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 based on their rank - a record-breaking Indian presence across all three WTT Star Contender events held in India. With a formidable foreign lineup led by Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto (World No. 4) and Hina Hayata (World No. 5), the stage is set for an electrifying tournament kickoff on March 25.

The WTT Star Contender Chennai men’s and women’s singles main draw will set a 48-player field while the doubles main draw (men’s, women’s, and mixed) will follow a 16-pair format. The tournament will feature a prize pool of USD 2,75,000 and award 600 points to the champions.

The women’s singles main draw will witness India’s best-ever representation across all editions of the WTT Star Contender, with Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, Ayhika Mukherjee and Yashaswini Ghorpade forming a formidable quartet. Meanwhile, four players have qualified directly for the men’s singles main draw in an Indian Star Contender for the first time, led by legend Sharath Kamal. He is joined by Manav Thakkar, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, and Harmeet Desai, all key members of India’s medal-winning Asiad and Asian Championships teams.

Japan’s Harimoto, recently crowned the WTT Star Contender Doha 2025 champion, will present significant challenges alongside Brazil’s Hugo Calderano (WR 6), a semifinalist at the Paris Olympics. Alongside a roster of global stars, they will infuse the men’s competition with formidable talent.

In the women’s singles, Hayata (WR 5) and Miwa Harimoto (WR 6) are two of the four top 10 players participating, ensuring a highly competitive women’s bracket.

In the doubles draw, Indians fans will be excited to see Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah enter WTT Star Contender Chennai as the highest-ranked men’s doubles pair so far, continuing a fruitful partnership. 2022 Asian Games bronze medalists Ayhika and Sutirtha Mukherjee will pair up for the women’s doubles, while Yashaswini Ghorpade will partner Diya Chitale.

The mixed doubles draw will see Shah pairing with Chitale, while Desai teaming up with Ghorpade, adding depth to India’s challenge.

Kamlesh Mehta, secretary of TTFI, remarked, “Indian table tennis has come a long way, and seeing more of our players earn entry into the main draw based on merit is a testament to that progress. Just a few years ago, such representation at this level was rare, but today, we are competing on equal footing with the best table tennis programmes in the world. Events like WTT Star Contender have continually helped in that progress and Chennai will continue that trend, challenging our players to aim higher.”

Wild cards and qualifiers are expected to further strengthen an already formidable Indian contingent. The singles main draw will feature 25 direct entries based on ITTF rankings, along with four host wildcards, two WTT nominations, one WTT youth nomination, eight top-20 players, and eight qualifiers, ensuring a highly competitive field.

Kamlesh Mehta, secretary of TTFI, remarked, “Indian table tennis has come a long way, and seeing more of our players earn entry into the main draw based on merit is a testament to that progress. Just a few years ago, such representation at this level was rare, but today, we are competing on equal footing with the best table tennis programmes in the world. Events like WTT Star Contender have continually helped in that progress and Chennai will continue that trend, challenging our players to aim higher.”

Article Source: IANS