WTT Star Contender Chennai: Manush and Diya Headline Wildcards as India Assembles Record 19 Paddlers
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Synopsis
India is preparing its largest contingent ever for the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025, with 19 paddlers participating. National champions Manush Shah and Diya Chitale are among those receiving wildcards, showcasing the country's growing talent in table tennis.
Key Takeaways
- India's largest-ever contingent at WTT Star Contender.
- 19 paddlers and 27 main draw entries.
- Wildcards awarded to national champions Manush Shah and Diya Chitale.
- All women's singles wildcards went to Indian players.
- Sharath Kamal's final tournament before retirement.
Chennai, March 20 (NationPress) India is set to present its largest-ever squad at a WTT Star Contender event, featuring 19 paddlers and 27 entries in the main draw. This follows the awarding of wildcards to national champions Manush Shah, Diya Chitale, and others for the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025.
In the doubles category, table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal and his partner Snehit Suravajjula have also secured a men’s doubles wildcard for the event, taking place from March 25-31 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.
All four women’s singles wildcards granted by the hosts have gone to Indian athletes, including the seasoned Sutirtha Mukherjee and Krittwika Sinha Roy, along with Swastika Ghosh and national champion Diya. In the men’s singles, Snehit joins Manush as the second Indian wildcard entrant.
Among the international wildcard recipients, Park Ganghyeon from South Korea, a silver medallist in the men’s team event at the 2022 Asian Games, and Kim Taehyun from Malta have earned spots in the main draw.
These wildcards were distributed to enhance representation and provide young talents with vital opportunities. WTT has also nominated Suhana Saini and Taneesha Kotecha for their potential. Meanwhile, Ankur Bhattacharjee (India) and Yoo Yerin (South Korea) have received WTT Youth Nominations, showcasing WTT’s commitment to nurturing young talent.
All doubles wildcards have been assigned to Indian pairings. Sharath, who will retire from the sport after this tournament, teams up with Snehit in men’s doubles, while Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Harmeet Desai are awarded the second wildcard.
Sathiyan has also earned a mixed doubles wildcard alongside Sreeja Akula, while Manika Batra and Manav Thakkar round out India’s wildcard representation in the event. For the women’s doubles, Sreeja will partner with Swastika Ghosh, while Syndrela Das teams up with Suhana.
In the wildcards assigned by WTT, Park Gyuhyeon from South Korea and Robert Gardos from Austria have been allocated spots in men’s singles.
Commenting on the wildcards, Deepak Malik, Co-founder & COO of Stupa Sports Analytics, remarked, “Wildcard entries play a crucial role in WTT events, allowing talented players to compete at the highest level regardless of ranking or eligibility constraints. It’s fantastic to see promising young talents like Taneesha and Suhana being given this chance, and we believe they will excel.”
