WTT Star Contender Chennai: Ayhika and Ankur Advance to Main Draw

Chennai, March 26 (NationPress) In a thrilling mixed doubles showdown, Asian Games medallist Ayhika Mukherjee and three-time National Youth Champion Ankur Bhattacharjee secured their spot in the main draw of the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025. They triumphed over Anirban Ghosh and Swastika Ghosh in a nail-biting five-game match on Day 2 of Qualifying on Wednesday.

Ayhika and Ankur, battling back from a game down on two occasions, showcased remarkable teamwork with Ayhika’s exceptional defense and Ankur’s powerful forehand shots, clinching the victory in a tense final game. Following this, Ankur partnered with Payas Jain in men’s doubles qualifying, delivering a stunning upset against top seeds John Oyebode and Carlo Rossi of Italy with a score of 3-1.

The WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 is organized by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). The tournament features 600 ranking points for winners and a prize purse of USD 275,000, attracting elite players from around the globe.

In other matches, South Korea’s Shin Yubin, a two-time Olympic medallist, alongside Ryu Hanna, easily advanced into the main draw after defeating India’s Diya Brahmachary and Anjali Rohilla. Meanwhile, the Chinese Taipei team of Huang Yi-Hua and Huang Yi-Jie dominated the Nashik pair comprising Taneesha Kotecha and Sayali Wani, winning in straight games.

The top two men’s players from Tamil Nadu, Abhinandh Pradhivadhi and Preyesh Suresh, demonstrated their skills by defeating the USA’s Tanish Pendse and Armaan Dalamal in straight games. In mixed doubles, the top-seeded wildcard team of Akash Pal and Poymantee Baisya advanced easily with a commanding 3-0 victory over Sarth Mishra and Sayali Wani.

In the men’s singles, the top-seeded Niagol Stoyanov from Italy and Ho Kwan Kit from Hong Kong asserted their authority in qualifying with straight-game wins over Priyanuj Bhattacharya and Agniv Gohain, respectively. In the women’s draw, wildcards Divyanshi Bhowmick and Poymantee Baisya fought through tough four-game matches to secure their advancement, defeating Nikhat Banu and Nandini Saha.

The WTT Star Contender 2025 will kick off its main draw on Thursday across five categories. Live streaming of the action will be available on SonyLiv and the official WTT YouTube channel.

Results highlights - Qualifying, Day 2

Men’s Singles (Round 3)

Anirban Ghosh (IND) [11] Vs. Carlo Rossi (ITA) [7] 3-0: 14-12, 11-7, 12-10

Niagol Stoyanov (ITA) [1] [WC] Vs. Priyanuj Bhattacharya (IND) 3-0: 11-6, 11-2, 11-6

Ho Kwan Kit (HKG) [2] Vs. Agniv Gohain (IND) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-8

Women’s Singles (Round 3)

Divyanshi Bhowmick (IND) [1] [WC] Vs. Nikhat Banu (IND) 3-1: 8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4

Poymantee Baisya (IND) [3] [WC] Vs. Nandini Saha (IND) 3-1: 12-10, 9-11, 11-6, 13-11

Men’s doubles (Round 1)

Ankur Bhattacharjee (IND)/Payas Jain (IND) Vs. John Oyebode (ITA)/Carlo Rossi (ITA) [1] 3-1: 12-10, 11-2, 14-16, 11-6

Abhinandh Pradhivadhi (IND)/Preyesh Suresh (IND) Vs. Tanish Pendse (USA)/Armaan Dalamal (USA) 3-0: 11-3, 11-4, 11-4

Women’s doubles (Round 1)

Shin Yubin (KOR)/Ryu Hanna (KOR) Vs. Diya Brahmachary (IND)/Anjali Rohilla (IND) 3-0: 11-3, 11-1, 11-5

Huang Yi-Hua (TPE)/Huang Yi-Jie (TPE) Vs. Taneesha Kotecha (IND)/Sayali Wani (IND) 3-0: 11-4, 11-2, 11-5

Mixed doubles (Round 1)

Akash Pal (IND)/Poymantee Baisya (IND) [1] [WC] Vs. Sarth Mishra (IND)/Sayali Wani (IND) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-9

Ankur Bhattacharjee (IND)/Ayhika Mukherjee (IND) Vs. Anirban Ghosh (IND)/Swastika Ghosh (IND) 3-2: 1-11, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8

Chan Baldwin (HKG)/Zhu Chengzhu (HKG) Vs. Finn Luu (AUS)/Minhyung Jee (AUS) [2] 3-1: 11-5, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7