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Asiad and CWG medallist, Arjuna Awardee, and the Men's Singles 10th seed going into the tournament, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, has labelled the Indian contingent a "genuine threat" to the world's best players ahead of the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026, set to commence from Tuesday at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University.
Over 80 players from over 15 countries will compete in the main draw across five categories: Men's Singles, Women's Singles, Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah are the top-seeded men's duo, while Shah and Diya Chitale-India's history makers at the WTT Contender Muscat 2026-will start as top seeds in the Mixed Doubles, according to a release. India will also have three players-Thakkar, Shah, and Gnanasekaran-among the top 16 Men's Singles players, a clear sign of progress from last year, where none of the Indians were seeded in the singles' draw. Addressing India's recent performances, Gnanasekaran said, "I'm extremely happy to see the progress Indian table tennis has made over the last few years. The growth has been exponential across all categories, from juniors to seniors. Many Indian players have broken into the top 100, and we are now a genuine threat to the world's best. Hosting UTT and WTT events in India, including feeder tournaments, Star Contenders, and Youth Contenders, has provided invaluable exposure. You can clearly see the impact, with Indians becoming regulars on the WTT circuit and improving consistently." "With the tournament happening in Chennai, my hometown, I couldn't ask for more. I'm super excited to be playing a WTT event at home again and hope to make a strong mark and pull off a few upsets," he added. Chitale and Shah arrive in Chennai on the back of a landmark run at the WTT Contender Muscat 2026, where the Indian pair stunned heavyweight China's fourth seeds Huang Youzheng and Shi Xunyao 3-2 in a thrilling 37-minute final to claim their second WTT mixed doubles title. Chitale, paired with Yashaswini Ghorpade, will also feature as the fourth seed in Women's Doubles main draw. Speaking on her recent achievements and looking ahead, Chitale said, "It feels amazing to be the top seed at the WTT Star Contender in Chennai. Manush (Shah) and I recently won the Contender event in Muscat, Oman, beating several quality opponents along the way, which has given us a lot of confidence. The growth of Indian table tennis over the past year has been tremendous, and we've worked hard on different aspects of our game. We're improving steadily and will take it one match at a time. Of course, the goal is always to win gold for India, and playing at home, I'm really hoping for strong support from the crowd." Meanwhile, Thakkar, seeded fourth in the Men's Singles draw, will also partner Shah as the top seeds in the Men's Doubles event. India has 27 players and 38 entries across the main and qualifying draws, the highest by any nation at this year's WTT Star Contender Chennai. Over sixty (60) overseas players feature in the main draw, with South Korea (17) and Japan (13) boasting the highest share. "It's really special, and I'm very excited to be back playing in Chennai. I have some great memories from here and will hopefully try to make them even better this year. It's always a pleasure to play in India, and this season I'll also be competing in doubles, where I'll be looking to do well," Thakkar said. The WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026 offers significant rewards, with the Men's and Women's Singles champions earning USD 17,000 and 600 world ranking points. Doubles winners will receive USD 5,500 and 600 points, underlining the tournament's importance on the global WTT calendar. (ANI)
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