Chennai, Jan 27 (IANS) The WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026 will bring world-class table tennis to India from February 10–15 at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University, marking the second time that Chennai will be hosting the event and the fourth WTT Star Contender to be staged in India.
The tournament will feature an enhanced prize purse of USD 300,000, up from USD 275,000 last season, with singles winners earning USD 17,000 and 600 ranking points, and doubles champions receiving USD 5,500 and 600 points.
Indian legend Sharath Kamal, who retired from professional table tennis at this very event last year, will serve as the tournament director for the 2026 edition.
Reigning champions Oh Jun-sung of Korea and Miwa Harimoto of Japan headline the field. India’s campaign will be led by Manav Thakkar, last edition’s semifinalist, along with Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Manush Shah, Harmeet Desai, and Ayhika Mukherjee, alongside young prospects Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, and Snehit Suravajjula.
Manush Shah and Diya Chitale, India’s first-ever WTT Finals qualifiers and champions at the WTT Contender Muscat 2026, will spearhead the mixed doubles, while world No. 7 Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah lead the men’s doubles challenge.
The tournament will feature 167 players from 17 countries, including 90 Indians and 77 foreign players, and will follow a knockout format, with qualifying rounds preceding the main draw from February 12.
In Women’s Singles, 16-year-old Miwa Harimoto, an Olympic medallist in Paris 2024, defeated her compatriot Honoka Hashimoto 4-2 to win her first crown at this level.
Meanwhile, Manav Thakkar’s historic run came to an end in the penultimate round, leaving him as the sole Indian male player to have reached a WTT Star Contender Semifinal. South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin, meanwhile, won the Mixed Doubles title with a straight-games victory.
WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 was organised by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) under the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). The event boasted a USD 275,000 prize purse and presented 600 ranking points to the winners.
–IANS
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