Vadodara, Jan 9 (NationPress) Junior national champion Hansini Mathan, wild card player Sanil Shetty, and the mixed doubles duo of Payas Jain and Syndrela Das caused surprises by defeating higher-ranked competitors to move on to the second round of the WTT Feeder Series 2026, organized by the Sports Authority of Gujarat, at the SAMA Indoor Sports Complex in Vadodara last Friday.

The 16-year-old Hansini, recognized as the youngest junior national champion in India, showcased her exceptional skills against world number 78 and third seed Yoo Yerin from South Korea, winning with scores of 11-8, 11-3, and 11-9. She is set to compete against Ryu Hanna of South Korea, who faced intense competition to defeat another rising Indian talent, Tanishka Kalbhairav, with scores of 7-11, 11-7, 11-5, 9-11, and 11-9 in the opening round.

Hansini also partnered with Sampada Bhiwandkar to overcome the third seeds Anusha Kutumbale and Baisya with a close score of 9-11, 15-13, 11-4, 6-11, 12-10 in the women's doubles first round.

The inaugural WTT Feeder Series in Vadodara, presented by the Sports Authority of Gujarat, is being hosted by the Table Tennis Association of Baroda and executed by UTT.

In the men's singles, Shetty made a remarkable comeback from two games down, saving a match point to defeat second seed Harmeet Desai with scores of 6-11, 5-11, 14-12, 13-11, and 11-7. He will next face qualifier Sougata Sarkar in the pre-quarterfinals.

Priyanuj Bhattacharya also caused a stir by defeating eighth seed Navid Shams from Iran with scores of 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, and 11-4, advancing to the second round where he will take on Yashansh Malik.

In the mixed doubles first round, Jain and Das overcame a tough beginning to defeat Pal and Baisya with scores of 4-11, 11-6, 11-8, 10-12, and 11-6, progressing to the next round.

Other prominent players in men's singles, including first seed Manush Shah, third seed Snehit Suravajjula, and sixth seed Ankur Bhattacharjee, also advanced to the next stage.

Manush defeated qualifier Parth Magar with scores of 11-7, 11-4, and 11-4. Snehit beat wild card entrant Pratham Madlani 11-5, 11-7, and 11-3, while Bhattacharjee triumphed over Abhinandh Pradhivadhi with scores of 11-6, 3-11, 11-8, and 11-6.

Hailing from Vadodara, Manush took charge of his match early, establishing a 5-2 lead in the first game. Although Magar managed to narrow the gap to 7-6, the local favorite maintained control throughout. In the second game, Manush won six consecutive points from 5-4 to extend his lead, remaining unchallenged in the third.

In the pre-quarterfinals, Bhattacharjee will compete against Mudit Dani, who defeated Ved Sheth with scores of 11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 6-11, and 11-6. Snehit will face Divyansh Srivastava, who overcame qualifier Balamurugan Rajasekaran with scores of 11-6, 11-9, and 11-4.